The US Senate confirmed Russell Vought as the new director of the Administration and Budget Office
He United States Senate confirmed Thursday to Russell Vought as director of the Administration and Budget Office (OMB, for its acronym in English), consolidating it in one of the most influential positions within the federal government.
The vote was resolved with 53 votes in favor and 47 against. During the session, Democratic senators tried to justify their votes against, but were interrupted by the Republican Ashley Moodywho presided over the plenary and recalled that the rules of the Senate prohibit debates during the vote.
The Democrats had triedmost dangerous appointment”President Donald Trump.
The leader of the Democratic majority, Chuck SchumerHe said that his confirmation represented “a triple disaster for US workers”, considering it the most radical candidate with the most extreme agenda for one of Washington’s most influential agencies.
Vought, who directed the OMB during the first Trump administration, has played a key role in configuration of the president’s policies. It is considered one of the Project Architects 2025a conservative plan to reform the federal government.
From the OMB, Vough will have the responsibility of Prepare the White House Budgetdefine political priorities and Supervise the regulation of federal agencies. His office has already caused controversy when issuing a memorandum to freeze federal spendingwhich generated uncertainty in schools, state governments and non -profit organizations, although it was subsequently revoked after several legal challenges.
In the Senate, Republicans supported Vought arguing that their leadership will be essential to reduce public spending and deregulate the economy. The leader of the republican majority, John Thunedefended his confirmation pointing out that he will have “the opportunity to address two key economic issues: Eliminate excessive government regulations and stop uncontrolled spending”
Vought has promoted a conservative vision in economic policy. After his first step by the Trump administration, he founded the Center for Renewing Americaa group of experts aligned with the “Make America Great Again” agenda. In his contribution to project 2025, he described the OM as “The president’s air traffic control system“, With sufficient authority to” cancel the bureaucracies of federal agencies. “
During Trump’s first mandate, Vaught promoted an initiative to reclassify tens of thousands of federal employees as political positions, which would facilitate mass dismissals. He has also defended the use of the “Fund retention”As a tool to expand the executive control over federal expenditure, arguing that the president has the power not to execute certain budget items approved by Congress if he considers them unnecessary.
In his confirmation hearings, Vought avoided answering questions from the Democrats about himself would retain help to Ukraineensuring only that it would act according to the law. His position led opposition legislators to accuse him of believing that the president is above the legal framework.
In addition to his economic vision, Vought has been an open defender of “Christian nationalism”, A booming concept within the Republican party that maintains that The United States was founded as a Christian nation and that the government must reflect those principles. In a 2021 article, he wrote that this idea implies “an institutional separation between Church and State, but not the exclusion of Christianity from its influence on government and society.”
(With information from The Associated Press)
