Senate confirms Project 2025 co-author as Trump Budget Manager

The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the White House Budget Office, Russell Vought, hours after Democrats staged a hearing all night in the chamber in protest.

Vought’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been controversial because of his role as author of Project 2025, a “wish list” about conservative priorities for Trump in his second period.

Democrats held the floor overnight on Thursday and gave speeches criticizing Vought’s role in Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government.

But with the Democrats, the minority was in the chamber, Republican voices for Vought enough to confirm him to the new role with 53-47.

Project 2025 was established by the Heritage Foundation, one of Washington’s most prominent right -wing think tanks, and calls for the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Ministry of Justice to be placed under direct presidential control.

It is also in favor of eliminating job protection for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by politically appointed and calls for a nationwide ban on abortion.

Vought wrote a central chapter of the document in the president’s executive office and served as the Republican national committee’s platform director from 2024.

He is now managing the federal budget of $ 6.75TN (£ 5.44TN). He served in the same role during Trump’s first administration.

Democrats are already furious at Trump’s budget decisions since returning to the White House, including the transition to cut back on the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which reportedly allows Elon Musk access to sensitive state payroll documents and his attempts On shrinking the federal workforce with a buyout program.

Confronted with the rapid pace of Trump’s executive orders, the Democrats rose about funding and the federal budget in their accommodation session and tried to make an example of Vought in an attempt to refuel his nomination.

Democrats painted Vought as Trump’s “most dangerous nominee” because of his control over funds awarded by Congress.

Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer described Vought as “the most radical nominee who has the most extreme agenda”.

“We want Americans every hour, whether it is at 8pm or 3, to hear how bad Russell Vought is and the danger he poses to them in their daily lives,” he said on the Senate floor.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said Vought already made radical changes in government even before he was confirmed.

“Russ Vought was the puppet master behind the funding that threw this country in chaos,” Warren said, referring to last week’s financing freezing on many federal projects.

Republicans have a 53-47 majority over Democrats in the chamber, making it impossible for the Minority Party to block Vought’s confirmation without objection from Republicans.

Vought received support from all Republicans, including Utah Senator Mike Lee, who took X to congratulate him.

“If you like what you’ve seen from President Trump and DOGE, you need to get ready because Russ Vought becomes a lean, average, budget -cuting machine that leads OMB,” Lee wrote.

With further reporting from Anthony Zurcher