Government affairs

The Senate Budget Committee voted on June 14 to advance Russell Vought’s nomination to the position of deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Vought comes from Heritage Action for America, a conservative policy advocacy organization and influential conservative lobbying group founded in 2010. He has spent the past seven years as the organization’s vice president.

Before that, Vouight spent 12 years working in the House of Representatives and the Senate, with notable roles as the Republican Study Committee’s budget birector, and then as executive director and policy director of the House Republican Conference.

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC) must also approve Vought’s nomination before a final confirmation vote by the full Senate.

Should he be confirmed, Vought would serve under the current director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney. OMB is the largest office within the Trump administration’s executive office and serves primarily to produce the president’s Budget, which was released last month and delivered to Congress for consideration.

Additionally, OMB oversees the performance of federal agencies, evaluating the effectiveness of agency programs, policies and procedures.

HSGAC is expected to vote on Vought’s nomination in the coming weeks. His nomination will then be considered by the Senate with no serious objections expected.