(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Affirming the fever-dreams of leftists everywhere, President-elect Donald Trump delivered a pick that may roil the Swamp even more than erstwhile attorney-general nominee Matt Gaetz.
Trump reappointed Russ Vought to oversee the Office of Management and Budget, a role he had in the previous Trump administration.
“He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success,” Trump said in a statement.
“… Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies,” Trump added. “Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People.”
Despite Trump’s having emphatically disavowed the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 on the campaign trail, Vought played a key role in the think-tank’s comprehensive set of policy proposals, designed to be a blueprint for the next incoming GOP administration.
One of the main objectives was to make significant cuts within D.C.’s administrative offices and to replace corrupt officials who have leeched off the dysfunction and inefficiency within the Beltway.
“Mr. Vought’s role in Project 2025 was to oversee executive orders and other unilateral actions that Mr. Trump could take during his first six months in office, with the goal of tearing down and rebuilding executive branch institutions in a way that would enhance presidential power,” fretted the New York Times in its writeup.
“In an interview with The New York Times in 2023, Mr. Vought laid out an agenda of eliminating the independence of certain regulatory agencies that operate outside the direct control of the White House, such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
Vought’s point was that many of the bureaucrats currently wielding immense power over the operation of the federal government are highly partisan, but not only unelected—they also have little accountability to those who are elected.
He cited as one other example the Federal Reserve, which controls national interest rates and can influence the direction of the economy, but cannot itself be influenced. It also has been authorized to print the currency that Congress is responsible for regulating according to the U.S. Constitution—and then loaning it back to the government, like a blank check, at whatever interest rate it chooses.
“What we’re trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them,” Vought told the Times. “It’s very hard to square the Fed’s independence with the Constitution.”
Vought is likely to work closely with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency being overseen by wealthy entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Vought recently sat down with popular streaming host Tucker Carlson, where he spoke about his past experiences undergoing Senate confirmation—a process that some expect will be contentious even after Gaetz’s surprise withdrawal this week.
“They’re gonna be… they’re gonna be exhilarating if you have the right approach to them,” Vought said of the hearings, which will include Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.
Tucker: “Tell us about what congressional, confirmation hearings are going to look like for Trump's appointees.”@russvought: “They're going to be exhilarating.” pic.twitter.com/UhDhm9Lcsz
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) November 19, 2024
“Bernie Sanders went after me very, very hard in my first confirmation hearing as deputy OMB for essentially believing in John 3:16,” Vought noted in his interview with Carlson.
In addition to Vought, Trump also made several other major appointments after business hours on Friday:
- Rep. Lori Chavez–DeRemer for Labor secretary
- Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary
- Scott Turner for secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for surgeon general
- Dr. Dave Weldon for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Marty Makary for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration
- Alex Wong and Sebastian Gorka as presidential assistants
Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
