Committee approves OMB pick despite Dem boycott

By Andres Picon, Kelsey Brugger | 01/30/2025 01:40 PM EST

Instead of attending the vote, Democrats held a press conference to blast Russell Vought.

Russell Vought arrives for his confirmation hearing.

Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, on Capitol Hill last week. Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO

Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee unanimously advanced Russell Vought’s nomination to lead the Trump administration’s budget office Thursday while the panel’s Democrats boycotted the vote in protest of the administration’s broad funding freeze.

Democrats’ decision to skip the vote and instead hold a press conference to lambaste the Office of Management and Budget’s recent move to pause disbursement of some congressionally appropriated funds was the latest flash point in what has been a dayslong furor on Capitol Hill over the OMB decision and Vought’s support for it.

While some Republicans expressed concerns about the directive that OMB issued earlier this week, GOP senators appeared ready to confirm Vought to lead the office for a second time. He served as budget director during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Advertisement

The Trump administration rescinded the explanatory OMB memo Wednesday but made clear that the administration was still withholding potentially hundreds of billions of dollars from states and nonprofits while officials reviewed their compatibility with Trump’s policy preferences.

GET FULL ACCESS