Warren Questions Deputy Secretary of Defense on Conflicts of Interest Involving DoD’s Golden Dome Missile Defense Program

Warren Questions Deputy Secretary of Defense on Conflicts of Interest Involving DoD's Golden Dome Missile Defense Program

Defense Deputy Secretary Feinberg reversed ethics commitment and appears to have retained ongoing Cerberus contract; transferred key holdings to benefit adult children

Conflicts could be impacting DoD contracting, implementation decisions related to secretive $185 billion missile program

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), questioned Department of Defense (DoD) Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg on his conflicts of interest, which may be enabling him, his immediate family, and his network of associates to benefit from secretive DoD contracting decisions related to its Golden Dome missile defense program. Senator Warren urged Feinberg to take immediate action to mitigate the conflicts.

Prior to joining the Trump administration, Feinberg served as the co-founder and CEO of Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm. He was required to divest from the firm and its businesses and recuse himself from any Cerberus-related matters and committed to transfer his Cerberus holdings to trusts that benefit his adult children upon joining DoD. Feinberg's ethics agreement also specified that he could "enter a written contract with [Cerberus] for the provision of certain administrative services…through April 15, 2026," until he "transition[s] to outside providers." But in January, Feinberg reversed the commitment without providing further clarity or rationale, allowing him to continue this relationship with Cerberus.

"Your continuing financial relationships with Cerberus, and that of your immediate family, as well as the fact that you have hired multiple key DoD staff with Cerberus ties, raises concerns about whether these actions are consistent with your ethics agreement," wrote Senator Warren. "And these concerns are exacerbated by the fact that Cerberus-backed companies are profiting off of Golden Dome contracts."

"This indicates that the financial relationship between you and Cerberus, and your immediate family and Cerberus, could continue indefinitely, extending your financial entanglement with the company and presenting an ongoing financial conflict of interest," wrote Senator Warren.

During his confirmation response, Feinberg pledged to Senator Warren that he would "be mindful of not only the legal requirements that govern my conduct, but also of the need to ensure that the public has no reason to question my impartiality."

Since, however, Feinberg has maintained conflicts that create numerous reasons to question his impartiality - including surrounding himself with a close circle of Cerberus-linked advisors and creating a "deal team" with former Cerberus leaders.

Specifically, Feinberg's conflicts related to the Golden Dome program raise serious concerns. DoD's Golden Dome program is extremely lucrative - already growing to cost an estimated $185 billion - and the program's manager reports directly to Feinberg. The program has also been shrouded in secrecy, with DoD initially refusing to publicly disclose companies that won contracts. The agency has since reversed course, revealing that at least four companies that are owned or partially-owned by Cerberus have been awarded Golden Dome contracts but still refuses to disclose the value of the contracts.

"As Deputy Secretary of Defense and the second highest ranking Department of Defense official, you have a responsibility to ensure the integrity of the Golden Dome program, and the entire defense acquisition decision-making," wrote Senator Warren. "There is little doubt that you are directly involved in the Golden Dome program, including signing off on implementation plans and serving as the top decision maker behind the program."

To address ongoing concerns about conflicts of interest, Senator Warren pressed Feinberg to completely cut all Cerberus ties, including those of his immediate family; amend his ethics agreement to extend his recusal period to cover his entire time in service at DoD; agree not to accept or seek any waivers from his ethics agreement; and increase transparency of DoD's Golden Dome program, including making information about contract recipients and contract values public and easily available.

Senator Warren has long sought to protect servicemembers and national security by pushing defense nominees to resolve their conflicts of interest:

• In May 2025, Senator Warren and Representative Casar (D-Texas) led 40 members of Congress in calling on the Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Defense to investigate the process for awarding the "Golden Dome" missile defense shield contract, including any involvement by Elon Musk.

• In May 2025, Senator Warren pressed Mr. Michael Obadal, nominee for Under Secretary of the Army, on his refusal to divest from major defense contractors.

• In April 2025, Senator Warren secured a commitment from Lieutenant General John D. Caine, President Trump's nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not to work for any major defense contractors-or companies affected by his official actions-after leaving government service.

• In March 2025, ahead of his confirmation vote, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Deputy Defense Secretary Nominee Stephen Feinberg, urging him to recuse himself from all matters related to Ligado Networks, which has a pending $39 billion lawsuit against the DoD.

• In March 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Emil Michael, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, with concern over his history of inappropriate behavior at work, his attacks on journalists and public accountability, and his ties to technology companies that may seek contracts with the Department of Defense.

• In February 2025, ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Stephen Feinberg, nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense, pressing him to explain his "serious conflicts of interest" and his track record of mismanagement.

• In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Michael Duffey, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment of the Department of Defense, ahead of his confirmation hearing, with serious concerns about his record, which include violating the law, disregarding Congressional authority, and his involvement in Project 2025.

• In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Pete Hegseth, nominee for Secretary of the Department of Defense, regarding his ethics conflicts ahead of the Senate's consideration of his nomination. Mr. Hegseth's household's ownership of stock in several defense contractors and his unwillingness to commit to the same post-employment restrictions he previously advocated for were particularly troubling for a prospective Secretary of Defense.

• In March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured ethics commitments from Douglas Schmidt, ahead of his confirmation to be the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) for the Department of Defense.

• In July 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured a commitment from General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., President Biden's nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not to become a defense industry lobbyist or receive compensation from a defense contractor for four years after leaving government service.

• In June 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Andy Kim reintroduced the Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, to limit the influence of contractors on the military, constrain foreign influence on retired senior military officers, and assert greater transparency over contractors and their interaction with DoD.

• In July 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured agreements to four-year recusals from former clients' and employers' party matters from then-Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and then-USD(R&E) Heidi Shyu.

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