President Donald Trump's pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) office focused on aviation is facing heightened scrutiny for hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes that were not disclosed in official ethics documents. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Now, Anderson has signed his ethics agreement and disclosure forms, but mentions of the now-paid off liens are not included, Fox News Digital found.
Fox News Digital obtained Anderson's IRS Certificates of Release of Federal Tax Lien that show he and his wife had multiple federal tax liens stemming from tax years 2013–2019, with unpaid assessed balances totaling approximately $426,000. The liens were related to "small business/self employed" taxes, according to the documents.
A federal tax lien is "the government's legal claim against your property when you neglect or fail to pay a tax debt," according to the IRS.
The liens, filed in two Georgia counties, were not released until October 2025 after payment was fulfilled. One IRS Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien shows liens tied to the 2012–2018 tax years totaling $354,791.63 and later released on Oct. 15, 2025, according to the documents obtained by Fox Digital. A second release shows a lien tied to tax year 2019 totaling $71,313.11 and released Oct. 29, 2025.
Anderson’s Public Financial Disclosure Report, called OGE Form 278e, however, only lists a single mortgage in the liabilities section — not any disclosures of federal tax liens or IRS liability, according to the documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The OGE Form 278e does detail boilerplate and detailed information on Anderson's assets, past employment and income.
The Office of Government Ethics’ guidance for OGE Form 278e instructs filers to report liabilities over $10,000 owed at any time during the reporting period.
Anderson signed the OGE Form Aug. 14, 2025, according to the document obtained by Fox News Digital.
Anderson's OGE Form 278e and a separate ethics document sent by Anderson to the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser were added to the Office of Government Ethics’ system tracking financial and ethics disclosures Sept. 21, 2025, Fox News Digital found.
Fox News Digital repeatedly reached out to the State Department, specifically inquiring why Anderson did not disclose the liens on the liabilities section of the OGE 278e, if he filed an amended financial disclosure to add any IRS liability or lien after the initial filing, and when the administration was first notified of the liens.
The ICAO ambassador operates under the authority of the secretary of state when confirmed.
"We support the President’s nominee and look forward to having him confirmed," a State Department spokesperson told Fox Digital of Anderson Wednesday.
A review of other nominees listed on the OGE disclosure database shows individuals have amended their ethics disclosures amid the vetting process. Anderson's file does not reflect any public amendments to his initial disclosures.
Public financial disclosure is a core piece of the nomination vetting process. Federal ethics rules and guidance generally require nominees to disclose major outstanding liabilities during the reporting period.
Nominees for Senate-confirmed ambassador posts typically are cleared through a multistep White House process that can include FBI background checks and federal ethics review of financial disclosures, with the State Department helping compile and process the nomination package before it is formally sent to the Senate.
Former Delta pilot Jeff Anderson was nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to the ICAO in July. (iStock)
Anderson made a handful of small-dollar donations to Republican Nikki Haley during the 2024 campaign cycle, when the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. ran against Trump, whom she slammed as "unhinged" while on the campaign trail before dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump as the GOP nominee for president.
The former pilot also donated to the former Democratic opponent who tried to unseat then-Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the 2024 cycle, according to donation filings previously reported by Fox News Digital. Anderson's political donations to Democrats stretch back years, including in 2017 when he donated to Democrats, such as former House candidate Dan Ward in Virginia and former Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon.
Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls, who serves as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, told Fox Digital in August 2025 that Anderson will help usher in "the Golden Age of aviation" if confirmed.
"Mr. Anderson served as a naval aviator and has more than three decades of experience as a pilot for Delta," Nehls said in August. "He is, without a doubt, qualified to represent the United States of America at ICAO, where his first-hand experience with the aviation industry will play a crucial role in advancing President Trump’s mission of ushering in the Golden Age of aviation."
President Donald Trump nominated Jeff Anderson to serve as U.S. ambassador to the office. (Graham Hughes / AFP/Getty Images)
"I am fully supportive of President Trump and his America First agenda. I have been fully vetted by the White House and appreciate the approval of the President, House Aviation Chair Troy Nehls and House T&I Chair Sam Graves, among others. I look forward to advancing American interests as the next Permanent Representative to ICAO," Anderson wrote in a direct message on LinkedIn to Fox Digital in August 2025, while adding that Trump is seeking to "move effectively forward in a space negligently left vacant by Biden."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the timeline of disclosure but did not receive a reply.
Fox New Digital reached out to Anderson for comment on the timeline of the tax liens and ethics filings but did not receive a reply.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-un-aviation-envoy-pick-faces-scrutiny-after-426k-tax-liens-missing-from-ethics-filing