Today, Americans for Public Trust filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Donna Shalala for failing to file reports on the sales of stock, a violation of federal law and House standards.
Recently, Rep. Shalala was appointed to a 5-member panel to oversee $500 billion in funds distributed under the CARES Act. Because of growing public concerns with her significant stock holdings and potential conflicts of interest, Rep. Shalala admitted she sold a variety of stocks through 2019. However, it was then uncovered that she did not publicly report the transactions as required by federal law.
In response, Representative Shalala has stated that as a new member she was unaware of such requirements. However, as someone who previously served as the former head of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Clinton, Representative Shalala should be aware of the transparency required for public officials. Until Representative Shalala files these transaction reports or her 2019 financial disclosure, it will be unclear whether she has any conflicts of interest, despite the significant oversight she will now have over $500 billion in taxpayer funds.
To read the complaint, click here.
