The Republican-led US Senate on Thursday confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee, Russell Vought, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget, giving the reins of government finances to a hard-line conservative who advocates for reducing Congress's authority over taxpayer money.
Mr. Vought's nomination was approved by a vote of 53 to 47 after a marathon session during which Democrats accused him of being a dangerous far-right ideologue and criticized Republicans for confirming President Trump's nomination without proper vetting.
Mr. Vought, who also headed the Office of Management and Budget during President Trump's first term, caused concern among members of both parties with his criticism of a 1974 law that prevents presidents from unilaterally blocking funds approved by Congress.
In his confirmation hearings on two Senate committees (the Homeland Security and Budget Committees), Mr. Vought repeatedly said that he believed this law was unconstitutional, a position that even the Republican chairmen of the committees said they did not fully support.
Last week, the White House Budget Office issued an order freezing hundreds of billions of dollars in federal financial aid, or loans.
The White House said the freeze was necessary to ensure aid programs were in line with President Trump's priorities.
The White House rescinded the order, following a federal judge's ruling that temporarily blocked the freezing of funds.
However, the administration's decision sparked widespread fear over the fate of essential government-funded services as well as concerns that President Trump might take unilateral action against other government-funded programs.
Democrats sought to link Mr. Vought's role in drafting the far-right document known as "Project 2025" to a series of administration actions, including unilateral actions that are essentially leading to the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the firing of prosecutors at the Justice Department.
" Whether it's what's happening to federal employees, to USAID, to Justice Department prosecutors, all of this is the work of Russell Vought ," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer during his remarks at Mr. Vought's confirmation hearing.
Mr. Schumer added that "he is working to harm Americans."
Republicans praised Mr. Vought's experience as Budget Director and the role he will play in cutting what they called wasteful government spending.
" Identifying ways to rein in our spending – targeting money that is wasted – should be a priority. I am confident that Mr. Vought will play a leading role in achieving this goal ," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said this week.
" There is no doubt that he will act swiftly in this direction ," he added. (A2 Televizion)
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