Senator Murray: “No Senator Who Believes Congress Holds the Power of the Purse Should Vote for Russ Vought”

01.23.25

WATCH : Senator Murray urges colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject Vought's nomination to be OMB Director

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee; Tim Kaine (D-VA); and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) at a press conference to call out Trump's extreme pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought.

Senator Murray underscored how Vought has long pushed to gut funding that working Americans count on while pushing tax cuts for billionaires, how he has taken radical views on everything from abortion to presidential power, and how he has been the leading advocate for President Trump to illegally withhold funding Congress has provided for communities across the country.

On Wednesday, Senator Murray pressed Vought on his extremist anti-abortion views and whether he would, as OMB Director, simply follow the law and ensure funding Congress passed makes it to the families and communities it intended. Vought repeatedly refused to commit to following the law despite admitting that no court in the land has ever found the Impoundment Control Act to be unconstitutional.

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered, are below:

"Russ Vought has made very clear that as Trump's Budget Director, he will put everything on the chopping block-from programs people rely on to the checks and balances that our democracy is founded on.

"In this same role last time, Vought tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress.

"It defies all common sense and judgment to put him back in the same role.

"Especially when, as a chief architect of Project 2025, he has doubled down on lawlessness, and charted a blatantly unconstitutional plan for the President to ignore the will of Congress. Not to mention his long history of anti-abortion extremism. This is someone who doesn't even believe in exceptions for rape, the life of the mother, and incest.

"Given his extremism and his clear disdain for the rule of law, we should not hand Vought power that he has made clear he will abuse to help billionaires get ahead at working people's expense.

"Yesterday, I asked him directly: 'Will you follow the law?' Because even if you disagree with laws, you can't just ignore them.

"Maybe you don't like a 25-mile-an-hour speed limit-but unless it's changed, or struck down, you still have to follow it. This is something almost every single American understands-except, apparently, Russ Vought.

"Because the Impoundment Control Act remains the law of the land, and the Constitution gives Congress-not the President-the power of the purse.

"And yet, Russ Vought will not say he will follow the law.

"If you are not willing to follow our laws, well then you cannot be trusted to implement our laws.

"If you will not commit to respecting constitutional checks and balances-then why on Earth should Congress, or the American people, entrust you with power?

"Seriously, no Senator who believes Congress holds the power of the purse should vote for an OMB director who will not respect the laws we pass, or disburse the investments we as lawmakers have secured for our states.

"We are talking about whether or not our constituents have their voices heard.

"We're talking about the most basic ability of Congress to negotiate deals and do our jobs. How are we ever supposed to reach a bipartisan compromise if Vought and President Trump are just going to ignore the bargain we struck-as the President has already taken sweeping action to do? That's not rhetorical-I want an answer.

"If the President can just decide he won't fund infrastructure programs that Congress funded on a bipartisan basis, how are we going to get anything done around here?

"What are the communities we represent-who are counting on these investments-going to do?

"And, of course, when we talk about Russ Vought, we are talking about sweeping cuts to programs that people rely on every day.

"Because Vought has made all too clear that as OMB director, he won't just draw blood-he will cut programs families rely on to the bone. SNAP cuts that leave families hungry. A wall of paperwork to cut people off from their health care. Thousands of public servants forced out of roles serving the American people. All while he works with Trump to dole out more tax breaks to billionaires and the biggest corporations.

"The vision is all out there in public statements and Project 2025. Vought has not been secretive or subtle.

"He wants to ignore the law. He wants to ignore the will of Congress. He wants to ignore the needs of our constituents, and we should not give him the opportunity.

"I am going to be making clear to every one of my colleagues-especially my fellow appropriators-we need to maintain Congress' power of the purse and our most basic checks and balances. We need to ensure that our communities-Republican and Democratic-are protected, and we reject Russ Vought's nomination."

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