Originally at nwlc.org
President Trump nominated Russell Vought, a key architect of the anti-democratic Project 2025 policy agenda, to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB is a little-known federal department, yet its potential impact on the lives of women and girls can’t be overstated. Unfortunately, Vought has made it perfectly clear that he holds hostile views towards reproductive rights, gender affirming care, gender and racial diversity and equity, and dignity and humanity for immigrants.
Vought’s terrible policy views on the issues central to the lives of women and girls are a hallmark of the Project 2025 agenda, but it doesn’t end there. Vought truly believes that presidents are kings, or at least that they should be, demonstrated by his intention to strip power from Congress, states, other agencies, and the American people and serve it to Trump on a silver platter. Russell Vought is unfit to lead OMB, and the Senate should reject his nomination.
What Is OMB?
The Office of Management and Budget is not just some fringe administrative government agency; it is a powerful office that works closely with the president to assist in the supervision of the federal government. The Director of OMB, who is in charge of the entire agency, leads the following types of work to support the president:
- The Federal Government’s Budget – OMB assists and oversees the creation of the president’s proposed federal budget.
- Federal Agencies and Departments – OMB oversees the policies and rules set by federal agencies and the agencies’ effectiveness in carrying out their priorities. Additionally, OMB supervises the funding and spending of federal agencies. In this way, the Office also has a significant impact on the federal workforce.
- President’s Policy Priorities – OMB supports the coordination and creation of the president’s executive orders and legislative proposals, including communication with Congress.
The director has a strong influence on the priorities and direction of the administration as well as programs and agencies that are vital to the lives and wellbeing of women, LGBTQI+ people, and working families.
Project 2025 and Beyond
OMB is one of the most important federal agencies, which is why it’s terrifying that this Project 2025 architect has been nominated to lead the department. Project 2025 is unpopular: only 13% of people in the U.S. support it and even Trump publicly disavowed it during his campaign. Yet, Trump’s nominee Russell Vought’s antagonistic views against women, LGBTQI+ people, immigrants, and working families closely align with some of Project 2025’s priorities:
Vought’s priorities and Project 2025 go hand in hand, making him the last person who should be the lead in setting governmental priorities, budgets, and workplace policies.
Anti-Democratic, “Post-Constitutional” Vision for America
In addition to his hostile views, Vought wants the president to defy Congress and control federal funding decisions to seize greater power.
Vought supports the illegal practice of impoundment, a power grab that puts our system of checks and balances under threat. Through impoundment, the federal government would refuse to spend money Congress allocated, potentially even clawing back funding that has already been approved through the budget process, and instead use this money for purposes not approved by Congress. Vought doubled down on his views on impoundment during his confirmation hearing, stating his opinion that the law stopping impoundment is unconstitutional.
Additionally, Vought has been a strident enemy of the federal workers are critical to the very function of the U.S. government. During President Trump’s first term, Vought was instrumental in the creating of “Schedule F,” which allowed the replacement of career civil servants and experts working in federal agencies with partisan loyalists, handpicked to undermine those agencies. The federal civil service is critical to our democracy and the effective functioning of our government. This policy was so abhorrent that President Joe Biden rescinded it as soon as he took office. If his nomination is successful, Vought has made clear that his intention is to paint federal workers as “villains” and “put them in trauma.”
Vought’s confirmation to the Office of Management and Budget would be dangerous for the wellbeing and futures of — not to mention our entire democracy.
As the prospective OMB Director, Vought would enact discriminatory policies and slash funding from programs critical to working families. Tell the Senate today, before it’s too late, to REJECT Vought’s nomination to lead OMB.
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