You are going to swear an oath to the Constitution, not to Donald Trump, just like any other confirmed official," Slotkin reminded Vought

Vought noted that Trump instructed all agency heads in his first term to use the Schedule F classification, a move that he called “sound policy” to ensure that the president “has career civil servants that are going to give us all of their knowledge and expertise, and disagreement at times as to what they think about a potential proposal.”

Some of Project 2025’s recommendations include restricting abortion access and supporting a “biblically based” definition of family, because the “male-female dyad is essential to human nature,” by replacing policies related to LGBTQ+ equity with those that “support the formation of stable, married, nuclear families.”

Russell Vought, who's been tapped to manage Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that the president should have broad powers over funding allocated by Congress.

He stressed he would follow the law, even as he emphasized Trump’s desire to overturn the 1974 Impoundment Control Act that requires congressional approval to rescind spending.

If confirmed, Mr. Vought will be at the center of President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to upend the federal bureaucracy.

Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump’s expected nominee to run OMB, told Senators that he would follow the Impoundment Control Act.

Democratic senators voiced their frustration Wednesday with answers from Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head up the White House’s budget office, about how he sees the limits of presidential power.

A New York Times reporter stepped into controversy this week when critics say he fundamentally misunderstood a constitutional law doctrine.

Few Democrats found ways to negotiate with Republicans quite like Shalanda Young — whose work as White House budget director stopped several potential economic crises from erupting. She brokered a 2023 deal to stop the government from defaulting on its debt.

Vought—who was questioned Wednesday by members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee—served as both acting director and director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during Trump's first term. He currently leads the think tank Center for Renewing America, whose motto is "For God. For Country. For Community."