Senator presses nominee on Anduril equity; nominee says he will follow Office of Government Ethics recusal terms
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Summary
Senators pressed the Army nominee about retaining equity in his former company, Anduril. The nominee said he will follow his Office of Government Ethics agreement and recusal terms; senators asked the committee to receive the recusal agreement for transparency.
During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Blumenthal asked the Under Secretary nominee, Mr. Oberdahl, whether he would sell stock or equity he holds in Anduril, a defense technology company that has contracts with the Department of Defense. Blumenthal said the continued ownership raised an appearance of conflict of interest and sought a clear commitment.
Mr. Oberdahl answered that he would “abide by all of those guidelines” issued by the Office of Government Ethics and noted that his recusal terms are specified in his agreement with OGE. When Senator Slotkin pressed for transparency — “Will you commit to making that deal public at least to this committee?” — Oberdahl replied, “Without a doubt, Senator. I ... welcome the transparency.”
Senators on both sides framed the question as a matter of public trust because the Army Transformation Initiative includes procurement and reorganization decisions that could affect companies in which a nominee previously held an interest. The committee chair observed that the committee has received the nominee’s materials on the government ethics website and that public filings are available there.
Authorities and limitations cited in the hearing included a reference to statutory recusal rules and the OGE process; senators also mentioned section 1117 of the 2022 NDAA as part of the ethics discussion. The nominee said his “restrictions and my recusals are laid out in my, in my agreement with the OGE.”
Discussion versus decision: this was a line of questions and a pledge to adhere to ethics agreements; no committee vote or administrative action occurred during the hearing. Senators requested the nominee’s recusal agreement and other ethics filings for committee review.