Rep. Scholten Calls for DHS Investigation into Former Coast Guard Advisor Simultaneously Employed by Government Contractor

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari requesting an immediate investigation into Sean Plankey, a former Senior Advisor to the Secretary for the Coast Guard. While serving in that role, Mr. Plankey was also publicly listed as a Senior Consultant at Pratus, a platform owned by a government contractor, Disaster Tech, that actively seeks out and does business with the federal government.

"During his tenure as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Mr. Plankey was likely in a position to review substantial contracts, make decisions on which entity would be awarded the contract, and potentially override agency procurement laws. Mr. Plankey actively consulting for a private company while acting in his capacity as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary is wholly inappropriate and calls into question the apparent conflicts of interest and potential violations of other federal acquisition, ethics, and employment laws," Rep. Scholten wrote in part.

In February 2026, Disaster Tech announced that Pratus was selected to be the new enterprise incident management platform for the Coast Guard. Shortly after Congress submitted a request to the Coast Guard concerning this contract award, Mr. Plankey was removed from the Pratus website, and the Coast Guard has failed to provide the requested information for oversight purposes.

"I request your office to determine whether there was an impermissible financial benefit to any of the individuals involved in the contracting and procurement decisions with respect to Pratus and any other contracts Mr. Plankey was involved in as a decision maker. As federal executives, Department and Coast Guard leaders should be held to the highest ethical standards," Rep Scholten continued. "Due to the importance of this issue, and the concern that this position is acting outside of the law, I urge the OIG to complete the investigation as expeditiously as possible."

The full text of the letter can be found below:

Dear Inspector General Cuffari:

In December of 2025, I transmitted a letter to you requesting that an investigation be opened into the Department of Homeland Security and their establishment of a new position, the Senior Advisor of the Secretary for the Coast Guard, to act as an intermediary between the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard or Service) and the Secretary of Homeland Security. Specifically, I expressed concern that the position and the person in the position, Mr. Sean Plankey, was acting as an authority over the Commandant of the Coast Guard, violating Section 888(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Appointments Clause.

As a follow-up to my initial letter, there are new, concerning allegations that while serving in the role of Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Mr. Plankey was also publicly listed as a "Senior Consultant" at Pratus. Pratus is a cloud-based platform that uses artificial intelligence to assist agencies in disaster and incident management, owned and operated by Disaster Tech. Disaster Tech is also a government contractor and actively seeks out and does business with various agencies within the federal government.

Through various news articles and company press, Disaster Tech announced in February 2026 that Pratus was selected to be the new enterprise incident management platform for the Coast Guard. Shortly after Congress submitted a request to the Coast Guard concerning this contract award, Mr. Plankey was removed from the Pratus website, and the Coast Guard has failed to provide the requested information for oversight purposes.

During his tenure as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Mr. Plankey was likely in a position to review substantial contracts, make decisions on which entity would be awarded the contract, and potentially override agency procurement laws. Mr. Plankey actively consulting for a private company while acting in his capacity as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary is wholly inappropriate and calls into question the apparent conflicts of interest and potential violations of other federal acquisition, ethics, and employment laws.

Therefore, I write to request that the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General ("OIG") initiate a formal investigation into the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Plankey, and the Coast Guard regarding the authority granted to the Senior Advisor to the Secretary for the Coast Guard and his involvement in the oversight of all contracting and procurement decisions. Further, I request that your office determine whether there was an impermissible financial benefit to any of the individuals involved in the contracting and procurement decisions with respect to Pratus and any other contracts Mr. Plankey was involved in as a decision maker. As federal executives, Department and Coast Guard leaders should be held to the highest ethical standards.

Due to the importance of this issue and the concern that this position is acting outside of the law, I urge the OIG to complete the investigation as expeditiously as possible. Further, I request that the OIG periodically brief Congress regarding the status and outcomes of the investigation. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

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