Senate Confirms Russell Vought as Director of Office of Management and Budget
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Russell Vought, a key architect of Project 2025, to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Vought, 48, was confirmed by a vote of 53-47. He served in the same role during President Donald Trump's first term and was responsible for overseeing the president's budget, reviewing federal regulations, and setting funding priorities for executive agencies.
During his time in office, Vought proposed billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and reductions for the Education Department, Interior Department, and U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the Washington Post. He also oversaw the freezing of military aid for Ukraine, a move that sparked Trump's impeachment in 2019.
Before his service in Trump's administration, Vought held the position of vice president of the Heritage Action for America, the sister organization to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that created a controversial policy blueprint known as Project 2025.
Vought is credited with authoring the chapter on executive power, where he argued that the president's powers are limited by a "sprawling federal bureaucracy" carrying out its own policy plans and preferences. Trump has attempted to distance himself from Project 2025, which has faced criticism from Democrats as being dangerous and authoritarian.
After leaving office in 2021, Vought founded the conservative advocacy group Center for Renewing America, which is committed to combating "far-left ideology," as stated on its website. The group has supported Trump's "America First" agenda.
Trump remarked in November, following Vought's appointment, that he "knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People."
During his confirmation hearing last month, Vought stated to senators that government spending could be a "burden" on everyday Americans and pledged to use "taxpayer dollars wisely" in his new role.
Senate Democrats conducted an overnight session on the floor to protest Vought's confirmation, arguing it posed a threat to democracy and would negatively impact Americans due to his connections with Project 2025.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated that "his confirmation would be a disaster for working families, and a godsend to billionaires who don't pay their fair share in taxes."
Democrats previously boycotted a vote to advance Vought's confirmation in the Senate Budget Committee last month.
