DOGE chief Elon Musk has questions for ex-USAID boss Samantha Power about how she managed to “accumulate wealth that is 100 times her after tax salary” amid reports that her net worth soared from $6.7M to $30M+ during her tenure. Here’s everything we know about Power’s finances.
USAID salaries top out at $212k per year. That means that even over four years, the time Power served as the agency’s administrator, her total income would have been roughly $850k.
InsideBidensBasement.org, a nonprofit spending watchdog compiling disclosures of officials involved in Washington’s ‘revolving door’ of politics, special interest groups and business, estimates Powers’ net worth to range from $10.1-$30.3M, far above what her government salary could explain.
Power began amassing millions after her 2013-2017 tenure as Obama’s UN ambassador, with a 2021 analysis by TheRevolvingDoorProject.org (another watchdog) reporting $471k in income from her Harvard professorships.
Power also earned $351k from speaking engagements for companies like Nestle, Google and UBS, and over $1M in book royalties, during this period.
Revolving Door Project profile of Samantha Power’s finances. – Sputnik International, 1920, 10.02.2025
Perhaps most interestingly, the nonprofit reported up to $11.73M in “assorted investment vehicles” belonging to Power, including BlackRock, Johnson & Johnson and Tesla.
A 2021 Office of Government Ethics certificate of divestiture showed Power dumping her J&J stocks, as well as shares of Social Capital, a venture capital firm in which Power also held the job of outside advisor, and got $1M+ in capital gains income.
Samantha Power’s stock transactions. – Sputnik International, 1920, 10.02.2025
A 2024 OGE Form 278e Public Financial Disclosure Report offers a snapshot of Power’s income after her return to government, showing:
- Hundreds of thousands in Vanguard money market and retirement investments
- Interest on 22 (!) bank accounts ranging from $1,001-$2,500 each, and American Washington Mutual Investors Fund, American Growth Fund of America, Delaware Value Fund, HSBC, S&P 500 holdings
Samantha Power’s financial disclosure report, 2024. – Sputnik International, 1920, 10.02.2025 © Photo : OGE.gov
curiously, no info on her USAID administrator salary
Power’s spouse, Cass Sustein, listed a $840k Harvard salary, millions in retirement fund savings and stocks, book royalties, and $112k+ in consulting and speaking fees for the Boston Consulting Group, Carnegie Mellon, the European Patent Office, and other entities.
By Ilya Tsukanov
Published by Sputnik Globe
Republished by The 21st Century
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of 21cir.com