Avoiding Trump Administration Conflicts of Interest

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I am one of those Americans who is very concerned about the conflict of interest that the President-elect faces as he assumes office. I don't think we have ever elected someone to office in this country with his vast wealth, but I must say, as ranking member on the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, let me give you one area which causes me concern: where he will separate his private interest from the public interest.

The committee on which I rank handles the Army Corps of Engineers' budget, and we don't have enough money to deal with all the projects around the country, some of which are backed up 20 years. What happens if Mar-a-Lago in Florida faces flooding--or any of the other coastal properties that the President-elect owns--and the Army is trying to make a decision on where to place Federal funds? Will his properties take precedence over thousands of other projects around the country that have been backlogged for years?

I think it is really important that the President-elect create a blind trust and put all of his assets in there. Obviously, he will have a good life in the years ahead, but we simply must not allow the private interests of any American to pollute the public decisions that this country must make.

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