Interior Secretary Burgum holds up to $64.4 million in AI investments, ProPublica finds

ProPublica reports that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum holds between $18.1 million and $64.4 million in AI company investments through Arthur Ventures, a firm he cofounded. Burgum resigned from his positions at the firm under his ethics agreement but retained his financial interests.

Burgum reported between $2.5 million and $15.1 million in capital gains from sales of AI company stocks and equity during 2025. He oversees the U.S. Department of the Interior, which is offering federally managed land for data centers and related infrastructure.

The Bureau of Land Management has asked its state directors to identify public land suitable for data center development, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Bureau records show at least 17 proposed data center campuses and 13 related infrastructure projects across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, according to a Center for Western Priorities analysis cited by Pipeline & Gas Journal.

Federal law bars officials from taking certain actions involving companies in which they have substantial investments. Ethics experts told ProPublica that Burgum's holdings appear permissible under the criminal statute, but said separate ethics rules require officials to avoid work that creates the appearance of a conflict of interest.

An Interior Department spokesperson said Burgum has met federal ethics and disclosure requirements and denied that his decisions are influenced by personal investments. The department said his role requires meetings with industry representatives and international partners.