Trump Official Wants Data Centers on Public Lands, Has $10M+ Invested in AI

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the administration's point person on AI infrastructure, holds between $18.1 million and $64.4 million in AI company investments through Arthur Ventures, according to his 2026 financial disclosure analyzed by Save Our Parks for ProPublica. Burgum has promoted data centers on federal lands and met more than 20 times with Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet representatives from January through November 2025, while ethics experts said he should recuse from such decisions. Other officials, including BLM Director Steve Pearce and USDA Undersecretary Michael Boren, also hold AI-related investments as their agencies review data center permits.