Senate confirms Russell Vought to return as head of Trumps Office of Management and Budget

The Senate confirmed Russell Vought to return as head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after having helmed the agency during the latter half of President Trump’s first term.All 53 Republicans backed Vought as OMB director, while every Democrat (47) opposed Trump’s nominee.“Mr.Vought will have the chance to address two key economic issues — cutting burdensome government regulations and addressing excessive spending,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) in a floor speech Wednesday.

“And the history of the past four years under the Biden administration is a history of burdensome new regulations.”“Our country is currently on a dangerous spending track, with debt held by the public set to hit a staggering $52 trillion by 2035,” Thune added.“And identifying ways to rein in our spending – and to target government waste – has to be a priority.

And I’m confident that Mr.Vought will help lead that charge.Vought will now serve at what he has called “the nerve center” of the second Trump administration’s budgetary and rule-making priorities.He was elevated from the role of OMB deputy director to director during the first Trump administration after Mick Mulvaney departed the agency to serve as White House chief-of-staff.After leaving office, Vought briefly advised the hardline Freedom Caucus in 2023, as its members fought against House Republican leadership for deeper federal spending cuts during the Biden administration.When announcing his OMB pick last November, Trump posted on his Truth Social account: “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!”Senate Democrats have railed against him as the architect behind a government-wide loan and grant freeze as well as a conservative blueprint for the presidency known as “Project 2025.”Vought distanced himself from the book during his confirmation hearing, but Democrats st...