September 24, 2019

On Wednesday, September 25th, the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing as part of its ongoing investigation into Trump’s D.C. hotel lease. The subcommittee, which is chaired by Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1), has jurisdiction over the government-owned building that houses Trump’s D.C. hotel. 

Since President Trump refuses to divest from his businesses, he personally profits off his D.C. hotel. This raises serious ethical and legal concerns. 

The General Services Administration (GSA) owns the Old Post Office building. In January of 2019, the Inspector General of the General Services Administration released a report concluding that, in overseeing the lease of the Old Post Office building, GSA “improperly ignored [the] Emoluments Clauses, even though the lease itself requires compliance with the laws of the United States, including the Constitution.”  

“Donald Trump promised to drain the swamp, and instead he’s built a hotel for swamp creatures right in his backyard,” said Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1). “The American people deserve to know exactly which foreign governments are trying to curry favor with this President by buying hotel rooms – and exactly how much money the President is making from it. There are serious Constitutional issues with this arrangement. This hearing will provide an important opportunity that Chairman DeFazio and I have sought to hold this Administration accountable.”

Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee

“Landlord and Tenant: The Trump Administration’s Oversight of the Trump International Hotel Lease”
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 
10:00 AM 
2167 Rayburn House Office Building

Panel I 

The Honorable Carol Ochoa 
Inspector General 
U.S. General Services Administration 

Mr. Daniel Mathews 
Commissioner 
Public Buildings Service 
U.S. General Services Administration 

Panel II 

Mr. Michael Foster 
Legislative Attorney 
Congressional Research Service 

Mr. Hans A. von Spakovsky 
Senior Legal Fellow 
Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies 
The Heritage Foundation 

Ms. Elizabeth “Liz” Hempowicz 
Director of Public Policy 
Project on Government Oversight 

Mr. Walter Shaub 
Senior Adviser 
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
and Former Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE)

A live stream of the hearing will be available here. 

###