Well, it’s official. Last night, the Senate showed Russell Vought as the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. He’s been acting director since March. Of course, Democrats hate it. He played a role in the failure of the Trump-Ukraine de-election fiasco that ended in a general defeat for Democrats. He dared to cut social programs, a bigger defense budget and gasp! – Looked for more tax cuts. Oh humanity! But why did the Democrats have a tantrum? Trump named him (via WSJ):
Senators voted 51 to 45, the parties, to President Trump’s public limited company of Mr. Vought.
Democrats had expressed their direct opposition to Vought’s election as head of the agency, raising questions about his role in blocking U.S. security aid. Ukraine and the White House budgets that prioritized dismissal and tax cuts.
The 500-user signature produces the president’s annual budget proposal, manages federal assets, and evaluates government programs.
Vought piqued the wrath of Democrats in January when he launched a $4.8 trillion budget that proposed drastic cuts to welfare systems and foreign aid and was consistent with veterans’ defense and defense. In May, his workplace broke the long-standing practice of publishing counternsitory economic forecasts, leading to uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Vought held senior positions in the WMO due to the birth of Trump’s presidency. He worked at Heritage Action for America, the lobbying arm of the conservative Washington expert group. Vice President Mike Pence has called a decisive vote for the Senate to get Vought deputy director in 2018.