Senate Democrats staged an all-night session to protest the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). They expressed deep concerns over his potential confirmation, which is scheduled for a Senate vote at 7pm. The Democrats, unified in their opposition, labeled Vought a threat to democracy and criticized his vision for expanding executive power.
Russell Vought, who previously served as the head of the OMB during Trump's first term from July 2020 to January 2021, has been a controversial figure. After his tenure, he founded a thinktank focused on planning for a second Trump presidency. His thinktank released a memo on November 21, 2024, advocating for increased presidential control over congressionally appropriated funding, which provoked significant concern among experts. This proposal potentially violates the Impoundment Control Act, which restricts presidential authority to withhold approved federal funding.
“He is the architect of the dismantling of our federal government,” said Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
The Senate Democrats, consisting of all 47 members, are steadfast in their opposition to Vought's nomination. They argue that his plans to consolidate executive power are dangerous and undermine democratic principles. The Democratic senators took drastic measures by boycotting the January 30 vote to advance his nomination and have now resorted to an overnight protest session.
“We’re going to have more than 35 United States senators on the Democratic side, opposing Russ Vought’s nomination,” stated Senator Brian Schatz.
Vought's thinktank has been vocal about its intentions to "roll back the woke and weaponized bureaucracy targeting the American people." This rhetoric has been met with resistance from Democrats who see it as a threat to institutional stability. Despite this opposition, senators voted along party lines to move his nomination forward.
During Vought's previous tenure at the OMB, he drew criticism when an acting director issued a memo freezing federal grant funding during Trump's second week in office. This move caused outrage and was seen as an overreach of executive power. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently appeared to connect Vought with another OMB memo that paused federal grant funding.
“He told me to tell all of you that the line to his office is open for other federal government agencies across the board,” conveyed Karoline Leavitt.