[Source: BBC NEWS]
The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the White House budget office, Russell Vought, hours after Democrats staged an all-night hearing in the chamber in protest.
Vought’s nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been controversial due to his role as an author of Project 2025, a “wish list” of conservative priorities for Trump in his second term.
Democrats held the floor overnight into Thursday, delivering speeches criticising Vought’s role in Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government.
But with Democrats the minority in the chamber, Republican votes for Vought were enough to confirm him to the new role by 53-47.
Project 2025 was created by the Heritage Foundation, one of Washington’s most prominent right-wing think tanks, and calls for the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies like the Department of Justice, to be placed under direct presidential control.
It also advocates for eliminating job protections for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by political appointees, and calls for a nationwide ban on abortion.
Democrats painted Vought as Trump’s “most dangerous nominee” due to his control over funds that have been allocated by Congress.
He will now administer the $6.75tn (£5.44tn) federal budget.
