Michael E. Helmer
The data on this page comes from a financial disclosure filed by Michael E. Helmer, who was picked to be: Chief of Staff, Department of Energy in May, 2025. It is part of a collection of thousands of ethics documents ProPublica has been collecting from across the Trump administration.
Employment Assets
Officials are required to disclose assets associated with their employment, including salary, retirement accounts, stocks, intellectual property and awards or prizes. (Form 278e, Part 2)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US bank- cash- Savings Account | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 1 |
Spouse’s Assets
Officials are required to disclose their spouse’s assets, including salary and retirement accounts worth more than $1,000. (Form 278e, Part 5)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US bank cash- Savings Account | $50,001 - $100K | $1,001 - $2,500 | Interest | 1 | |
| US bank cash- Savings Account - Joint Account | $50,001 - $100K | $1,001 - $2,500 | Interest | 2 | |
| US bank cash- Certificate Deposit | $100K - $250K | $2,501 - $5,000 | Interest | 3 | |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) (Retirement Account - Roth 401K | 4 | ||||
| JNJ Life Cycle Fund | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 4.1 | ||
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - Unrestricted Stock | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 5 | ||
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - Restricted Stock | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 6 | ||
| JOHNSON & JOHNSON | salary | 7 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | $50,001 - $100K | $1,001 - $2,500 | 8 |
Liabilities
Officials are required to disclose their liabilities totaling more than $10,000, as well as any linked to their spouse or dependent children. These include mortgages, credit card debt and student loans. The interest rates and loan repayment terms are also required. (Form 278e, Part 8)
| Creditor | Description | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firstmark Credit Services | type: Student Loan, amount: $10,001 - $15,000, year-incurred: 2018, rate: 7%, term: 20 Years | 1 |
About the Data
Most political appointees and senior officials in the executive branch are required by law to file public financial disclosure reports. These are documents that detail their financial holdings, positions they hold outside government, their spouse’s holdings, their liabilities and their recent financial transactions (such as buying or selling stock) during a defined reporting period.
The most senior officials file their disclosures with an agency called the Office of Government Ethics, and others file them with a designated ethics official within their agency. The Ethics in Government Act allows members of the public and the press to request these documents.
We’re publishing this information to give the public an important glimpse into the financial ties of a powerful and often hidden cadre of presidential appointees within the federal bureaucracy.
The main document type included in the database is the OGE Form 278e, which appointees must file when they are nominated (for Senate-confirmed appointees) or when they enter government (all others), and then annually while in the position. Another common document included is the OGE Form 278-T, also known as a periodic transaction report, which all public filers must submit within 30 days of a transaction. We are also making other ethics documents available, such as ethics agreements, certificates of divestiture and other documents we have obtained under the Ethics in Government Act.
Join us on Wednesday, April 8 for a walkthrough of ProPublica's new database of financial disclosures from Trump appointees and any potential conflicts they reveal. Register here.
