Senate Democrats Challenge Russell Vought's Nomination for Budget Chief

Senate Democrats are preparing to stay in the chamber overnight to oppose the nomination of Russell Vought as the White House's next budget chief, with confirmation expected later this week.

The Senate voted along party lines earlier on Wednesday to advance Vought's nomination, passing a procedural hurdle before an anticipated confirmation vote by the GOP-led Senate.

"We're going to have more than 35 United States senators on the Democratic side opposing Russ Vought's nomination," said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a senior appropriator, in a video posted to X on Wednesday. "We're going to take the floor for 30 hours," he added, describing Vought as the "architect of the dismantling of our federal government."

Democrats are mounting strong opposition to Vought’s nomination. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated that "all 47 Democrats," including the two independent senators who caucus with the party, will oppose the nomination. "We will take the floor early this afternoon and spend the whole night discussing how bad this nomination is and how it badly affects working families," he noted.

The protest highlights mounting concerns about Vought, who some Democrats label as Trump's "most dangerous nominee," particularly in light of executive orders freezing funds approved by Congress.

In hearings, Democrats challenged Vought regarding executive spending powers and his associations with Project 2025, the conservative blueprint from the Heritage Foundation that faced significant criticism during the 2024 presidential election cycle.

While Vought insists that the administration will uphold the law, he has expressed his belief during hearings that the Impoundment Control Act, which limits the president's authority to restrict funds approved by Congress, is unconstitutional.

Democrats had also boycotted a vote to report Vought's nomination out of committee last week. Nevertheless, Republican senators unanimously voted to advance the nomination at that time.

Despite the robust Democratic opposition, Vought is projected to be confirmed this week. Republicans are largely supportive of the nominee, who previously served as OMB director under Trump’s first term.

"We worked with Russ in the first administration, and I work with him a lot on a whole range of issues. He was good to work with," remarked Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). "I have a good working relationship with him and expect that to continue."

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) indicated his support for any nominee receiving unanimous consent from the Republican committee, pending no further changes or additional information.