Government employees should be working for the people, not profit

 Government employees should be working for the people, not profit

• Debra, CREW HQ 

  From:info@citizensforethics.org

  
  

  To:Joseph

  Fri, Jul 25 2025 at 11:55 AM

  All month, a generous donor is matching grassroots gifts to CREW. That means your donation will make DOUBLE the impact! Click here to make a matched, tax deductible donation to support CREW's work → Joseph, On July 1, the White House released a report detailing its employee salaries. While the media focused largely on identifying the top earners, we’re more interested in those who aren’t earning a salary at all—and the potential ethics issues that raises. Eight White House employees are working from the White House without taking a government salary. While this may seem like a noble choice, forgoing a government salary can be a way to take advantage of loopholes in our government ethics laws. Under the law, most government employees are barred from earning money from non-government sources, but there are exceptions from some ethics rules for Special Government Employees and other employees who are not taking a salary from the government. That means that White House staffers who forgo their salary can earn outside income while working in powerful roles—raising the question of what they may be gaining instead. CREW is pushing to close this loophole in our ethics laws and ensure government employees are working for the American people—not personal profit. If you’re with us, please donate today and join our fight for a transparent and accountable government→ Donate → During Trump’s first term, the same loophole in our ethics laws allowed Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to work in the White House while earning millions in outside income—creating massive conflicts of interest. And it seems like some in Trump’s new administration have followed their lead. Here are some of the most concerning instances: David Sacks is serving as the White House AI and Crypto Czar while continuing to work at a venture capital firm that has a minority stake in 19 crypto startups. He’s responsible for shaping Trump’s agenda and the future regulation of AI and crypto—and given his financial stake in these industries, his actions in the White House could benefit him financially. Steve Witkoff is the Special Envoy to the Middle East. As a real estate developer and co-founder of World Liberty Financial, the crypto exchange company that Trump is a partial owner of, he’s used his position to promote his company while on official government travel in places like Dubai and Saudi Arabia and he may also stand to profit from his work in the White House. Paula White is Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office. She’s also a pastor and Chair of the Center for American Values at the America First Policy Institute. In the past, her ministry was found to have used its tax-exempt ministry funds to pay for personal items like a waterfront mansion. Recently, Trump suggested she could oppose political candidates from her pulpit without threatening her church’s tax-exempt status. While not taking a government salary, these White House employees could be using their roles to benefit financially in other ways. These loopholes in ethics rules need to be closed. Government employees should be motivated by public service, not maximizing their own profits.