The architect of a controversial right-wing policy roadmap is back at the helm of the Office of Management and Budget.
Senators voted along party lines to confirm Russell Vought’s nomination as OMB director on Thursday, marking a successful return to power for the Project 2025 author who held the same position towards the end of the first Trump administration.
Vought survived efforts to delay his confirmation vote after Democrats staged an overnight protest, taking turns to deliver speeches on why he was unfit for the role in a last-ditch effort to stop the vote. But with a 30-hour time limit on their delay tactics and a minority in the chamber, the Democrats could not stop the vote.
Despite the fierce pushback, the vote ultimately landed at 53-47 in favor of Vought’s confirmation.
Vought is credited with masterminding Project 2025, a policy agenda so controversial that President Donald Trump disavowed it during the presidential campaign.
“I know nothing about Project 2025,” the president said last July. “I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”
Though Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, many of his executive orders—including those concerning DEI, immigration, finance, and FEMA—mirror policies detailed in the right-wing playbook.
Vought served as OMB director from 2019 to 2021, during which time he froze military aid for Ukraine and canceled other foreign aid. He founded the conservative think-tank Center for Renewing America after leaving office.
The OMB has already stirred controversy since Trump re-nominated Vought in November. The agency was forced to rescind a memo freezing federal funding for grants and loans after it caused widespread confusion across the government.
