Waiver Tracker

ETHICS WAIVER TRACKER

Ethics responsibilities are an important aspect of public service. Many of the rules exist to ensure public officials are not using their positions of public trust for private gain for themselves or those around them, such as former employers. Just as importantly, they exist to maintain public confidence that their government is not making decisions arbitrarily or based on inappropriate biases.

At times, public servants are granted waivers from strict ethics requirements that allow them to work on matters that may involve former employers or others with whom the public servant has a “covered relationship.” While this an accepted practice, waivers should be limited in number and scope and should not be granted simply because of a former employer’s strong political or media connections. When this occurs, it undermines the single standard all Americans expect of their government and is not how ethics rules are supposed to work.

Thus far the Administration has granted 50 waivers, including several to former labor union officials. Some former government ethics officials have defended the waivers, saying the individuals’ service is necessary and in the public interest. Yet others dispute this, claiming the former employers of the waiver recipients stand to reap significant financial and political benefits from the Administration’s proposed policies and that these waivers could represent a case of potential benefit and an appearance of bias that ethics rules are meant to prevent.

Protect the Public’s Trust is tracking agency decisions to grant waivers and impartiality decisions with a full list below. We will also be submitting FOIA requests to ensure the public stays up to speed on what potential conflicts of interest are being waived.

Official Agency
David Cohen Central Intelligence Agency
Jessica Ennis Council on Environmental Quality
Celeste Drake Council on Environmental Quality
Andrea Delgado Department of Agriculture
Gail Greenman Department of Agriculture
Thomas Vilsack Department of Agriculture
Xochitl Torres Small (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Agriculture
Jewel Hairston Bronaugh Department of Agriculture
Terry Goodin Department of Agriculture
Erin Oban Department of Agriculture
Glenn Pauley Department of Agriculture
Adena Leibman Department of Commerce (NOAA)
Valerie Williams Department of Education
James F. Lane Department of Education
Jennifer Granholm Department of Energy
Jigar Shah Department of Energy
Geraldine Richmond (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Energy
Corey Hinderstein (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Energy
Jill Hruby (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Energy
David Turk (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Energy
Marvin L. Adams Department of Energy
Joshua Shiode Department of Energy
Xavier Becerra Department of Health and Human Services
Sean McCluskie Department of Health and Human Services
Sarah Lovenheim (updated) Department of Health and Human Services
Miriam Delphin-Rittmon (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Health and Human Services
Rachel Levine Department of Health and Human Services
Sarah Boateng Department of Health and Human Services
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Health and Human Services
Marvin L. Figueroa Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Suhas Tripathi Department of Health and Human Services
Benjamin Sommers Department of Health and Human Services
Daniel Tsai Department of Health and Human Services
Charanya Krishnaswami Department of Homeland Security
Michelle Brané Department of Homeland Security
Eric Hysen Department of Homeland Security
Vanita Gupta Department of Justice
Elizabeth B Prelogar (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Justice
Elizabeth Prelogar Department of Justice
Jonathan Kanter (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Justice
Rachael Rollins (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of Justice
Lee Satterfield Department of State
Lee Satterfield (Waiver/decision remains secret) Department of State
Wendy Sherman (Others remains secret) Department of State
Victoria Nuland Department of State
Elizabeth Van Schaack Department of State
Caroline Kennedy Department of State
Elizabeth Klein (Waiver/decision remains secret, contains “non-standard language”) Department of the Interior
Martha Williams Department of the Interior
Raina Thiele Department of the Interior
Summer Sylva Department of the Interior
Janet Yellen Department of the Treasury
Janet Yellen – 2 Department of the Treasury
David Lipton Department of the Treasury
Rex (Logan) Sturm Department of the Treasury
Marilynn Malerba Department of the Treasury
Alexia Latortue Department of the Treasury
Nellie Liang Department of the Treasury
Nellie Liang – 2 Department of the Treasury
Rahul Prabhakar Department of the Treasury
Pete Buttigieg Department of Transportation
Steven Cliff Department of Transportation
Maureen Elias Department of Veterans Affairs
John Lucey Environmental Protection Agency
Kathleen Lance Environmental Protection Agency
Melissa Hoffer Environmental Protection Agency
Casey Katims Environmental Protection Agency
Michael Regan Environmental Protection Agency
Marianne Engelman-Lado (impartiality determination) Environmental Protection Agency
Marianne Engelman-Lado Environmental Protection Agency
Philip Fine Environmental Protection Agency
Susannah Weaver Environmental Protection Agency
Willie L. Phillips Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
C. William B. Nelson NASA
Pamela A. Melroy NASA
Elizabeth A. Eurgubian National Credit Union Administration
Celeste Drake Office of Management and Budget
Aviva Aron-Dine Office of Management and Budget
Mina Hsiang Office of Management and Budget
Mina Hsiang – 2 Office of Management and Budget
Alethea Predeoux Office of Personnel Management
Gabriela Chojkier U.S. Agency for International Development
Natasha Bilimoria U.S. Agency for International Development
Erika Moritsugu White House
Kristine Lucius White House
Karine Jean-Pierre White House
Leidy Perez-Davis White House
Jake Sullivan White House
Andrew Slavitt White House
Rachel Patterson White House