Dexter Reveals Potential Ethics Violations of Top-Ranking Trump Official, Calls for Investigation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, called on the Department of Interior (DOI) to investigate Associate Deputy Secretary Karen Budd-Falen after revealing Budd-Falen failed to disclose that her agency approved a $3.5 million contract between her husband and a mine developer.  

“Trump said he would drain the swamp, turns out—to little surprise—he’s done the opposite. His highest-ranking officials are using their power to enrich their own families, and the latest example is playing out on our public lands,” said Dexter. “The corruption is clear as day, and as the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I am acting to stop it.”  
 
New evidence compiled by House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Dexter reveals Associate Deputy Secretary Karen Budd-Falen may have abused her power while at the Department of Interior to give her family a $3.5 million payout tied to their ranching assets. Budd-Falen's family ranch sold water rights to Nevada Lithium Corporation that were essential for the company’s mine to move forward. In November 2019, while serving as Deputy Solicitor with authority over Fish and Wildlife Service matters, she secretly met with company executives in her DOI office. Her family wouldn't see the potential $3.5 million payday unless the mine won federal approval, which was still pending at the time. 
 
The Budd-Falen family received their payday from Nevada Lithium Corporation in November 2023, only after the mine received federal approvals. Despite filing multiple financial disclosures during this period, Budd-Falen reported income from her family ranch as "None (or less than $201)."  
 
Given DOI has refused to answer congressional inquiries and instructed staff not to cooperate with oversight requests, Dexter and Huffman are formally demanding the DOI Inspector General investigate whether Budd-Falen violated federal ethics rules and criminal conflict-of-interest statutes. Read the entire text of the letter here.

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