Eric Ueland

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Eric Ueland
Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 21, 2025
Preceded byJason Miller
Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics
Acting
Assumed office
August 26, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJamieson Greer
Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
Acting
December 21, 2020 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byNathan Sales (acting)
Succeeded byLisa Peterson (acting)
White House Director of Legislative Affairs
In office
June 17, 2019 – June 5, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byShahira Knight
Succeeded byAmy Swonger
Personal details
Born (1965-07-12) July 12, 1965 (age 60)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of San Francisco (BA)

Eric Matthew Ueland (born July 12, 1965) is an American political advisor and government official who has served in various positions in both Trump administrations. In the second Trump administration, he currently serves as deputy director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) since 2025,[1] after serving as acting chief of staff for the agency from January to May 2025. Ueland was later appointed acting director of the United States Office of Government Ethics in July 2025.

During Trump’s first term, Ueland served as acting under secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights from 2020 to 2021, and earlier as acting principal deputy assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs in 2020.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Ueland was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from Central Catholic High School, Ueland earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of San Francisco.[3][4]

Career

[edit]

Ueland has served in senior positions in the United States Senate since 1996, including as chief of staff for Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles. Roll Call described Ueland as a "longtime budget and Senate rules expert" who is "regarded as one of the smarter procedural strategists for the Republicans."[5]

From 2007 to 2013, Ueland was vice president of the Duberstein Group. He has served as the Republican Staff Director of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget since being hired by Jeff Sessions in 2013. Ueland was a member of Donald Trump's 2016 transition team.[6]

He was President Donald Trump's first nominee to become Under Secretary of State for Management in June 2017.[7] His unsuccessful nomination was withdrawn in June 2018 in favor of Brian Bulatao.[8]

Between October 2018 and March 2019, Ueland served as the director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources at the Department of State.[2] In April 2019, he joined the White House as a Deputy Assistant to the President and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council.[9] He served in this position until June 2019 when he became the Director of Legislative Affairs.[9]

In June 2020, Ueland left the White House to serve as a Senior Advisor for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the Department of State.[9]

In July 2020, Ueland was nominated to be the next Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights,[10] a position which was vacant over the first three and a half years of the Trump Administration.

In November 2020, Ueland became the bureau's Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. On December 21, 2020, he was tapped to lead the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in an acting capacity with the title of "Senior Official."[2] On December 30, 2020, his nomination was withdrawn by the Trump Administration.[11]

In June 2022, Ueland was appointed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as commissioner to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), "an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad". He was reappointed to the Commission in June 2024 by Senator Mitch McConnell, for a second term. He was elected Vice-Chair of USCIRF and declared: “Together with Chair Schneck and my colleagues, I am eager to continue our shared efforts to call out foreign governments perpetrating or tolerating severe violations of the fundamental, universal right to religious freedom."[12][13] Ueland served as commissioner to the USCIRF until January 2025.

From January 2021 until May 2025, Ueland operated Ueland Consulting LLC, on whose behalf he consulted for the American Hospital Association, APTS, Humana Health, Commonwealth Fund, Heritage Foundation, and America First Policy Institute. From July 2022 until January 2025 he served as an Advisory Board member at the Center for Constitutional Liberty, Benedictine College.[14] Ueland served as a Visiting Fellow at the Heritage Foundation from March 2023 until December 2024 and as a volunteer for the Trump Vance Transition.[15]

From January 2025 until May 2025, Ueland served as Senior Advisor and Acting Chief of Staff at the Office of Management and Budget. On May 14 2025 he was confirmed 52-45 by the US Senate and on May 21, 2025 assumed office as Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[16] On August 26, 2025, Ueland’s July 16, 2025, designation was announced as Acting Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics.[17]

Personal life

[edit]

Ueland is a practicing Catholic.[18] He is married to Cathleen Ueland, a Catholic school social studies and religion teacher with the Diocese of Arlington, they have three children.[15][19] Ueland's daughter Brigid Ueland, graduated from Benedictine College in 2018 before serving as a staffer in the United States Senate. She then completed her masters at her alma mater.[20] Since 2025 she served as a Legislative Assistant for Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ https://x.com/RealEU4U/status/1925210642631320014?t=PJK8P5_PRBlOPnn2zACvsQ&s=19
  2. ^ a b c "Eric M. Ueland". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Gordon R. Friedman | The (January 9, 2018). "Portlander is Trump's pick to lead State Dept. management". oregonlive. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Group, Pamplin Media. "Portland's Ueland State Dept. nomination withdrawn". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2020. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Pierce, Emily (June 5, 2013). "Sessions Hires Noted Rules Guru Eric Ueland as Budget Staff Director". Roll Call. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  6. ^ Romm, Tony (September 22, 2016). "Sources: Top GOP budget aide working on Trump transition team". Politico. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  7. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Seventeen Nominations and One Withdrawal Sent to the Senate Today". whitehouse.gov. June 18, 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018 – via National Archives.
  9. ^ a b c Krawzak, Paul (June 5, 2020). "Top White House official leaving for State Department". Roll Call. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "PN2157 — Eric M. Ueland — Department of State". U.S. Congress. July 29, 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate", White House, December 30, 2020
  12. ^ CNA. "Religious freedom watchdog's new appointments include three Catholics". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  13. ^ "Stephen Schneck Elected as Chair of Bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Eric Ueland as Vice Chair". U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. June 3, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  14. ^ "Center for Constitutional Liberty Board of Advisors | Benedictine College". Benedictine College. Archived from the original on 2024-11-17. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  15. ^ a b Ueland, Eric (March 31, 2025). "Ueland, Eric M. Final" (PDF). US Office of Government Ethics.
  16. ^ "PN26-46 - Eric Matthew Ueland, of Virginia, to be Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget, 119th Congress (2025–2027)". www.congress.gov. May 14, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  17. ^ "USOGE | Eric Ueland, Deputy Director for Management at OMB, designated as OGE's Acting Director". www.oge.gov. Archived from the original on September 13, 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  18. ^ Hale, Jim (June 13, 2024). "Catholic man works to shine spotlight on religious oppression". Catholic Herald.
  19. ^ "Eric Ueland - Office of Management and Budget Office of the Director (May 2025-), Deputy Director for Management - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  20. ^ College, Benedictine (2018-04-27). "New Catholic Leaders Ready to Take On the World". Benedictine College Media & Culture. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  21. ^ "Brigid Ueland - Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) (April 2025-), Legislative Assistant - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
[edit]
  • Media related to Eric Ueland at Wikimedia Commons
  • U.S. Department of State biography