Senate Democrats have voiced intense opposition to the president’s selection to oversee the management of federal agencies and their employees. According to reports, Trump’s pick for OMB Director Russ Vought is “at the very top of the list” in terms of unqualified leaders for the position. Senate Democrats are allegedly trying to sway some members of the GOP against Vought.
Reportedly, Democrats are concerned that Vought will bring an agenda to cut federal programs, withholding congressional funding, and push meritocracy in the federal government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said during a press conference on the nominee, “This man is an appalling nominee. I hope our Republicans on the other side will just see what this guy is all about and decide they can do better.”
“Russ Vought has an unusual degree of gleeful hatred for the federal workforce,” Sen. Tim Kaine, (D-VA) similarly said. Kaine further criticized Vought over remarks he made during a speech in which he called for federal employees to “put in trauma” when suggesting they should be “viewed as the villains.” Kaine said, “Who talks like this?”
Echoing this sentiment, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) pointed out that the OMB Director has outsized influence on pushing forward President Trump’s agenda. “That is why this nominee, Mr. Vought, is the most dangerous nominee put forward by Trump,” Merkley said about Vought. He further lamented that the nominee “exudes hate for federal workers.”
Furthermore, Vought has claimed to be one of the lead architects of the Schedule F policy touted by President Trump, which would make it substantially easier to fire tens of thousands of government employees. The move would strip them of civil service protections, allowing for Trump to fire bureaucrats who oppose him.
Vought had previously indicated Schedule F was a “sound policy” during his confirmation. “It is to ensure that the president, who has policy-setting responsibility, has individuals who are also confidential, policy-making positions are responding to his views, his agenda,” Vought said. “And it works under the same basis that most Americans work on, which is they have to do a good job or they may not be in those positions for longer.”
Announcing his selection of Vought in late November, President Trump said, “I am very pleased to nominate Russell Thurlow Vought, from the Great State of Virginia, as the Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success! Russ graduated with a B.A. from Wheaton College, and received his J.D. from the Washington University School of Law. Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies.”
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The president concluded, “Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People. We will restore fiscal sanity to our Nation, and unleash the American People to new levels of Prosperity and Ingenuity. I look forward to working with you again, Russ. Congratulations. Together, we will Make America Great Again!”
Watch Vance slam the Biden admin and defend the pro-life movement below:
Featured image credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Trump_Signs_Executive_Orders_on_Transparency_in_Federal_Guidance_and_Enforcement_(48875629527).jpg