¶ Known Controversies
¶ Supports An Unprecedented Use Of Executive Power
|
Vought played a key role in developing plans to centralize power in Trump’s hands under a second administration. He authored large portions of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook, which advocated for mass firings of career civil servants and legal strategies to prevent military and department leadership from thwarting executive actions taken by Trump. Vought himself expressed vitriol at independent civil servants, saying he wanted to put them in “trauma” and make them the “villains” by demonizing them publicly. Vought said he wanted to “identify pockets of independence” in the federal government and “seize them,” taking specific aim at the Department of Justice and calling for investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s enemies. Vought supported reviving presidential “impoundment” powers, a practice outlawed after Nixon, which would allow Trump to withhold congressionally appropriated funds for political purposes. He also crafted plans to enable Trump to deploy the military against domestic protests by invoking the Insurrection Act, citing unrest following George Floyd’s murder as a missed opportunity to use such force against American citizens. Vought’s proposals aligned closely with Trump’s campaign rhetoric about targeting perceived “enemies within” and included strategies to prevent legal challenges to militarized responses. |
¶ Vought Authored Significant Portions Of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Playbook
¶ Vought Authored Significant Portions Of Project 2025 And Argued It Would Become A “New Governing Consensus Of The Republican Party”
Vought Authored A Chapter Of Project 2025 Focused On The Executive Office Of The President. According to the Washington Post, “Vought’s long career as a staffer in Congress and at federal agencies has made him an asset to Project 2025, an initiative led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, to lay the groundwork for a second Trump term. Vought wrote the chapter on the executive office of the president in Project 2025’s 920-page blueprint, and he is developing its playbook for the first 180 days, according to the people involved in the effort. ‘We’re going to plant the flags now,’ Vought told Trump’s former strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, on his far-right podcast. ‘It becomes a new governing consensus of the Republican Party.’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Authored A Portion Of Project 2025 Meant To Serve As A Playbook For The First 180 Days Of Trump’s Second Term. According to the Washington Post, “Vought’s long career as a staffer in Congress and at federal agencies has made him an asset to Project 2025, an initiative led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, to lay the groundwork for a second Trump term. Vought wrote the chapter on the executive office of the president in Project 2025’s 920-page blueprint, and he is developing its playbook for the first 180 days, according to the people involved in the effort. ‘We’re going to plant the flags now,’ Vought told Trump’s former strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, on his far-right podcast. ‘It becomes a new governing consensus of the Republican Party.’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Told Steve Bannon That Project 2025 Was Going To Become “A New Governing Consensus Of The Republican Party.” According to the Washington Post, “Vought’s long career as a staffer in Congress and at federal agencies has made him an asset to Project 2025, an initiative led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, to lay the groundwork for a second Trump term. Vought wrote the chapter on the executive office of the president in Project 2025’s 920-page blueprint, and he is developing its playbook for the first 180 days, according to the people involved in the effort. ‘We’re going to plant the flags now,’ Vought told Trump’s former strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, on his far-right podcast. ‘It becomes a new governing consensus of the Republican Party.’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought’s Think Tank, Center For Renewing America, Was Part Of The Project 2025 Advisory Board
Center For Renewing America Was Part Of The Advisory Board For Project 2025. According to Project 2025,
[Project 2025, 11/19/23 via Internet Archive]
¶ Vought Advocated For Mass Firings Of Career Public Servants To Prevent Federal Agencies And The Military From Thwarting Trump’s Executive Actions In A Second Term
Project 2025 Advocated For Mass Firings Of Career Public Servants In Administrative Agencies And Replacing Them With Ideologically Aligned Trump Supports In Order To Further Trump’s Agenda. According to the Associated Press, “The unprecedented effort is being orchestrated with dozens of right-flank organizations, many new to Washington, and represents a changed approach from conservatives, who traditionally have sought to limit the federal government by cutting federal taxes and slashing federal spending. Instead, Trump-era conservatives want to gut the ‘administrative state’ from within, by ousting federal employees they believe are standing in the way of the president’s agenda and replacing them with like-minded officials more eager to fulfill a new executive’s approach to governing.” [Associated Press, 8/29/23]
Vought Crafted Legal Strategies To Prevent The Military And Federal Agencies From Thwarting Trump’s Executive Actions In A Second Term. According to ProPublica, “A key ally to former President Donald Trump detailed plans to deploy the military in response to domestic unrest, defund the Environmental Protection Agency and put career civil servants ‘in trauma’ in a series of previously unreported speeches that provide a sweeping vision for a second Trump term. In private speeches delivered in 2023 and 2024, Russell Vought, who served as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, described his work crafting legal justifications so that military leaders or government lawyers would not stop Trump’s executive actions. He said the plans are a response to a ‘Marxist takeover’ of the country; likened the moment to 1776 and 1860, when the country was at war or on the brink of it; and said the timing of Trump’s candidacy was a ‘gift of God.’” [ProPublica, 10/28/24]
¶ Vought Expressed A Desire To Put Career Civil Servants In “Trauma” By Firing Them En Masse And Villainizing Them Publicly
Project 2025 Was A Far Reaching Policy Blueprint Designed To Act As A Playbook To Fire 50,000 Federal Workers And Establish A “Government In Waiting” For Trump’s Second Term. According to the Associated Press, “Led by the long-established Heritage Foundation think tank and fueled by former Trump administration officials, the far-reaching effort is essentially a government-in-waiting for the former president’s return — or any candidate who aligns with their ideals and can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024. With a nearly 1,000-page ‘Project 2025’ handbook and an ‘army’ of Americans, the idea is to have the civic infrastructure in place on Day One to commandeer, reshape and do away with what Republicans deride as the ‘deep state’ bureaucracy, in part by firing as many as 50,000 federal workers.” [Associated Press, 8/29/23]
Vought Said He Wanted To Attack And Stigmatize Career Civil Servants Publicly: “When They Wake Up In The Morning, We Want Them To Not Want To Go To Work Because They Are Increasingly Viewed As The Villains.” According to ProPublica, “Another priority, according to Vought, was to ‘defund’ certain independent federal agencies and demonize career civil servants, which include scientists and subject matter experts. Project 2025’s plan to revive Schedule F, an attempt to make it easier to fire a large swath of government workers who currently have civil service protections, aligns with Vought’s vision. ‘We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,’ he said. ‘When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down so that the EPA can't do all of the rules against our energy industry because they have no bandwidth financially to do so. ‘We want to put them in trauma.’” [Associated Press, 8/29/23]
Vought Positioned Project 2025 As A Way To Put Civil Servants “In Trauma.” According to ProPublica, “A key ally to former President Donald Trump detailed plans to deploy the military in response to domestic unrest, defund the Environmental Protection Agency and put career civil servants ‘in trauma’ in a series of previously unreported speeches that provide a sweeping vision for a second Trump term. In private speeches delivered in 2023 and 2024, Russell Vought, who served as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, described his work crafting legal justifications so that military leaders or government lawyers would not stop Trump’s executive actions. He said the plans are a response to a ‘Marxist takeover’ of the country; likened the moment to 1776 and 1860, when the country was at war or on the brink of it; and said the timing of Trump’s candidacy was a ‘gift of God.’” [ProPublica, 10/28/24]
¶ Vought Said He Wanted To “Identify Pockets Of Independence” In Government And “Seize Them” On Behalf Of Trump
¶ Vought Said He Wanted Trump’s Administration To Identify “Pockets Of Independence” Across The Federal Government And Bring Them Under Trump’s Ideological Control
Vought: “What We’re Trying To Do Is Identify The Pockets Of Independence And Seize Them.” According to the New York Times, “‘What we’re trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them,’ said Russell T. Vought, who ran the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump White House and now runs a policy organization, the Center for Renewing America. The strategy in talking openly about such ‘paradigm-shifting ideas’ before the election, Mr. Vought said, is to ‘plant a flag’ — both to shift the debate and to later be able to claim a mandate. He said he was delighted to see few of Mr. Trump’s Republican primary rivals defend the norm of Justice Department independence after the former president openly attacked it.” [New York Times, 7/17/23]
¶ Vought Suggested Trump Should Have Control Over The Decisions Of The Federal Reserve Bank, And Claimed Its Traditional Independence From Political Interference Was Not Constitutional
Vought Refused To Say Whether He Would Support Giving Trump The Power To Order The Federal Reserve To Lower Interest Rates Before Elections, But Said The President Should Have Some Oversight Over The Federal Reserve’s Decisions. According to the New York Times, “Asked whether presidents should be able to order interest rates lowered before elections, even if experts think that would hurt the long-term health of the economy, Mr. Vought said that would have to be worked out with Congress. But ‘at the bare minimum,’ he said, the Federal Reserve’s regulatory functions should be subject to White House review. ‘It’s very hard to square the Fed’s independence with the Constitution,’ Mr. Vought said.” [New York Times, 7/17/23]
Vought Suggested The Federal Reserve Bank’s Independence Was Unconstitutional: “It’s Hard To Square The Fed’s Independence With The Constitution.” According to the New York Times, “Asked whether presidents should be able to order interest rates lowered before elections, even if experts think that would hurt the long-term health of the economy, Mr. Vought said that would have to be worked out with Congress. But ‘at the bare minimum,’ he said, the Federal Reserve’s regulatory functions should be subject to White House review. ‘It’s very hard to square the Fed’s independence with the Constitution,’ Mr. Vought said.” [New York Times, 7/17/23]
¶ Vought Advocated For Boosting White House Control Over Traditionally Independent Agencies Like The Federal Trade Commission And The Federal Communications Commission To Target Opponents Of Trump’s Agenda
Vought Advocated For Boosting White House Control Over Traditionally Independent Agencies Like The Federal Trade Commission And The Federal Communications Commission To Target Opponents Of Trump’s Agenda. According to the Washington Post, “Vought favors boosting White House control over other federal agencies that operate somewhat independently, such as the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces consumer protection laws, and the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates television and internet companies. Trump’s never-implemented order from his first term making it easier to fire government employees would allow the White House to excise policymakers who resist the will of the elected chief executive. ‘It really concerns me, and I know it concerns Russ, that these agencies have turned on the very people they are supposed to serve,’ said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who led a House panel that Vought pushed for on the alleged ‘weaponization’ of government.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Said He Wanted Trump’s Doj To Unleash An “Army Of Investigators” To Convict Officials That Investigated Trump And His Allies
¶ Vought Told Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk He Wanted An “Army Of Investigators” To Go After Officials That Investigated Trump And His Allies, And Said He Wanted “Firm Convictions”
Vought Told Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk He Wanted An “Army Of Investigators” To Go After Officials That Investigated Trump And His Allies, And Said He Wanted “Firm Convictions.” According to the Washington Post, “Vought’s playbook for Trump’s first 180 days, the final phase of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, has not been publicly released. But a review of his proposals so far suggests that a second Trump term could breach even more political norms than the first. Vought argues that protocols intended to shield criminal cases from political influence, which were adopted in the wake of the Watergate scandal, have allowed unelected prosecutors to abuse their power. Even as Trump vows to ‘go after’ Biden and his family without providing clear evidence of alleged crimes, Vought wants to gut the FBI and give the president more oversight over the Justice Department. ‘Department of Justice is not an independent agency,’ he said at a Heritage Foundation event last year. ‘If anyone brings it up in a policy meeting in the White House, I want them out of the meeting.’ Echoing Trump, Vought supports prosecuting officials who investigated the president and his allies. ‘It can’t just be hearings,’ he told right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on his podcast. ‘It has to be investigations, an army of investigators that lead to firm convictions.’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Said “The Department Of Justice Is Not An Independent Agency,” And Said He Wanted To Kick Anyone Out Of White House Meetings Who Tried To Advocate For The Independence Of The DOJ
Vought Said “The Department Of Justice Is Not An Independent Agency,” And Said He Wanted To Kick Anyone Out Of White House Meetings Who Tried To Advocate For The Independence Of The DOJ. According to the Washington Post, “Vought’s playbook for Trump’s first 180 days, the final phase of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, has not been publicly released. But a review of his proposals so far suggests that a second Trump term could breach even more political norms than the first. Vought argues that protocols intended to shield criminal cases from political influence, which were adopted in the wake of the Watergate scandal, have allowed unelected prosecutors to abuse their power. Even as Trump vows to ‘go after’ Biden and his family without providing clear evidence of alleged crimes, Vought wants to gut the FBI and give the president more oversight over the Justice Department. ‘Department of Justice is not an independent agency,’ he said at a Heritage Foundation event last year. ‘If anyone brings it up in a policy meeting in the White House, I want them out of the meeting.’ Echoing Trump, Vought supports prosecuting officials who investigated the president and his allies. ‘It can’t just be hearings,’ he told right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on his podcast. ‘It has to be investigations, an army of investigators that lead to firm convictions.’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Supported Giving Trump Power To WITHHOLD Funds Appropriated By Congress, A Practice Outlawed After Nixon Left Office
Vought Supported Restoring Presidential Power To Withhold Funding Appropriated By Congress, A Practice Outlawed After Nixon Left Office. According to the Washington Post, “Vought also recommends reviving presidential ‘impoundment’ power to withhold funding appropriated by Congress; the practice was outlawed after President Richard M. Nixon left office, but Vought calls that move ‘unconstitutional.’ And he supports invoking the Insurrection Act, a law last updated in 1871 that allows the president to deploy the military for domestic law enforcement.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Crafted Plans To Enact Trump’s Campaign Rhetoric About Deploying The U.S. Military Against U.S. Citizens At Protests
Vought Said He Wanted Trump To Be Able To Use The Military To Shut Down Domestic Protests, Crafting Legal Strategies To Prevent Such An Act From Being Deemed Unlawful. According to ProPublica, “Vought laid out how his think tank is crafting the legal rationale for invoking the Insurrection Act, a law that gives the president broad power to use the military for domestic law enforcement. The Washington Post previously reported the issue was at the top of the Center for Renewing America’s priorities. ‘We want to be able to shut down the riots and not have the legal community or the defense community come in and say, ‘That’s an inappropriate use of what you’re trying to do,’’ he said. Vought held up the summer 2020 unrest following George Floyd’s murder as an example of when Trump ought to have had the ability to deploy the armed forces but was stymied.” [ProPublica, 10/28/24]
Vought Crafted Plans To Enact Trump’s Campaign Rhetoric About Deploying The U.S. Military Against U.S. Citizens At Protests. According to ProPublica, “Vought’s plans track closely with Trump’s campaign rhetoric about using the military against domestic protesters or what Trump has called the ‘enemy within.’ Trump’s desire to use the military on U.S. soil recently prompted his longest-serving chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, to speak out, saying Trump ‘certainly prefers the dictator approach to government.’ Other policies mentioned by Vought dovetail with Trump’s plans, such as embracing a wartime footing on the southern border and rolling back transgender rights. Agenda 47, the campaign’s policy blueprint, calls for revoking President Joe Biden’s order expanding gender-affirming care for transgender people; Vought uses even more extreme language, decrying the ‘transgender sewage that’s being pumped into our schools and institutions’ and referring to gender-affirming care as ‘chemical castration.’” [ProPublica, 10/28/24]
¶ Vought Is A Danger To Social Security, Medicare, And Medicaid
| Russell Vought, who served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration, oversaw significant proposed cuts to major social programs in the FY 2021 budget proposal. The budget sought to reduce Medicare spending by $500 billion over ten years, primarily through provider payment reductions, and proposed approximately $920 billion in cuts to Medicaid during the same period. The proposal also included $79.6 billion in cuts to Social Security and disability benefits through various measures, including changes to retroactive disability payments, new work requirements, and modifications to multi-recipient family benefits. The budget proposed establishing an expert panel aimed at reducing Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income participation by 5% by 2032, estimated to save $46.6 billion. According to Media Matters, Vought continued to advocate for Medicare and Medicaid reform into 2023, emphasizing the need to reform these programs while prioritizing cuts to the "bureaucracy" and what he termed the "benefit hammock" of the social safety net. |
¶ Vought Oversaw Trump 2021 Budget As OMB Director
As OMB Director, Russell Vought Spearheaded Trump Budgets, Including 2021 Budget With Cuts To Social Security And Medicare As OMB Director. According to Nation of Change, "As OMB director during Trump’s first term, [Vought] spearheaded budgets that proposed deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and federal nutrition assistance programs." [Nation of Change, 11/25/24]
¶ Trump FY 2021 Budget Sought To Cut Medicare By $500 Billion Over 10 Years
¶ Center On Budget Policy Priorities: Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Would Have Cut Medicare By $500 Billion Over 10 Years
Center On Budget Policy Priorities: Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Would Cut $500 Billion From Medicare Over 10 Years. According to the Center on Budget Policy Priorities, “President Trump’s 2021 budget proposes about $500 billion in net Medicare spending reductions over ten years (see table), most of which would come from reducing payments to health care providers and not affect beneficiaries directly.” [Center on Budget Policy Priorities, 2/13/20]
Center On Budget Policy Priorities: Budget Proposed Medicare Spending Cut $756 Billion Over 10 Years, But Cuts Reduce To $501 Billion After “Accounting For The General Revenue Payments For GME And Uncompensated Care.” According to the Center on Budget Policy Priorities, “In two cases — payments to hospitals for graduate medical education (GME) and for uncompensated care — the budget proposes to move spending from Medicare’s trust funds to new, smaller grant programs funded by general revenues. While the budget would cut Medicare spending by $756 billion over ten years, the cuts amount to $501 billion after accounting for the general revenue payments for GME and uncompensated care.” [Center on Budget Policy Priorities, 2/13/20]
¶ Trump FY 2021 Budget Would Have Cut Medicaid By About $920 Billion Over 10 Years
¶ Washington Post: Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Cut Medicaid By About $920 Billion Over 10 Years
Washington Post: Trump FY 2021 Budget Cut Medicaid By About $920 Billion Over 10 Years. According to the Washington Post, “The budget cuts Medicaid spending by about $920 billion over 10 years, a change Democrats and administration critics warn would lead to reductions in benefits and the number of people on the health care program.” [Washington Post, 2/10/20]
¶ Trump FY 2021 Budget Sought $79 Billion In Cuts To Social Security And Disability Insurance Over 10 Years
¶ New York Times: Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Sought To Cut $70 Billion From Federal Disability Benefits
New York Times: Trump FY 2021 Budget Sought $70 Billion Cut To Federal Disability Benefits Over 10 Years. According to the New York Times, “The president’s plan includes about $2 trillion in cuts to safety net programs and student loan initiatives. Those reductions encompass new work requirements for Medicaid, federal housing assistance and food stamp recipients, which are estimated to cut nearly $300 billion in spending from the programs. The budget would also cut spending on federal disability insurance benefits by $70 billion and on student loan programs by $170 billion.” [New York Times, 2/10/20]
¶ Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Sought $79.579 Billion In Cuts To Social Security And Disability Benefits
¶ Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Cuts To Social Security And Disability Benefits Totaled $79.579 Billion
Trump FY 2021 Budget Accounted For Savings From Panel That Would Be Tasked With Producing Recommendations To Decrease Disability Insurance (DI) And Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Outlays By 5% By 2032. According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “Test New Approaches to Increase Labor Force Participation—This Budget promotes greater LFP of people with disabilities by expanding demonstration authority that allows the Administration to test new program rules and requires mandatory participation by program applicants and beneficiaries. This proposal calls on the Congress to establish an expert panel that will identify specific changes to program rules that increase LFP and reduce participation on disability programs based on the results of successful demonstrations and other evidence. This panel would be responsible for making recommendations to reduce participation levels that would be directly tied to reaching a five percent reduction in Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) projected outlays by 2032.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated Program Would Save $46.581 Billion Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
Trump FY 2021 Budget: “Improve SSI Youth Transition To Work” Line Item Sought To “To Promote Greater Self-Sufficiency For Transition-Age Youth” By More Closely Tracking Medical Progress And By Increasing Incentives For SSI Youth Recipients To Work. According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “Improve SSI youth transition to work—To promote greater self-sufficiency for transition-age youth, the Budget would implement several SSI reforms. First, the Budget would better identify medical improvement at the earliest point to increase oversight and signal the importance of SSI youth investing in their education and development by instituting initial disability reviews at age six and 12. Second, the Budget would improve SSI youth work incentives by disregarding all earned income and eliminating income reporting requirements through age 20, providing a higher disregard of earnings with a gradual phase-down for SSI recipients between ages 21 and 25, and eliminating school enrollment reporting requirements. In addition, the Budget would improve access to vocational rehabilitation services for SSI transition-age youth by allowing the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make referrals to these services.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated SSI Youth Transition To Work Would Save $141 Million Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
Trump FY 2021 Budget Sought To Reduce 12 Month Retroactive Disability Benefits To Six Months. According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “Revise 12 month retroactive DI benefits to six months—New DI beneficiaries are eligible for up to 12 months of benefits before the date of their application, depending upon the date they became disabled. This proposal would reduce retroactivity for disabled workers, which is the same policy already in effect for individuals receiving retirement benefits. This proposal would not modify retroactivity for Medicare eligibility. Create a sliding scale for multi-recipient SSI families—Currently, multi-recipient SSI families are eligible to receive an equal full benefit amount for each SSI child recipient. However, economies of scale in some types of consumption such as housing reduce per capita living expenses so that two children generally do not need twice the income as one child. Federal poverty guidelines and other means-tested benefits take into account these efficiencies. The Budget proposes to create a sliding scale family maximum for SSI disability benefits that considers the number of additional family recipients, keeping the maximum benefit for one recipient the same, but reducing the maximum amount for all eligible children and parents in the same family for each additional recipient.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated 12 Month To 6 Month DI Revision Would Save $9.788 Billion Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
Trump FY 2021 Budget Proposed To Reduce Maximum Benefit To Families With Multiple Children Who Qualified For SSI. According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “Create a sliding scale for multi-recipient SSI families—Currently, multi-recipient SSI families are eligible to receive an equal full benefit amount for each SSI child recipient. However, economies of scale in some types of consumption such as housing reduce per capita living expenses so that two children generally do not need twice the income as one child. Federal poverty guidelines and other means-tested benefits take into account these efficiencies. The Budget proposes to create a sliding scale family maximum for SSI disability benefits that considers the number of additional family recipients, keeping the maximum benefit for one recipient the same, but reducing the maximum amount for all eligible children and parents in the same family for each additional recipient.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated Cap On Benefits For Families With Multiple Minor SSI Recipients Would Save $8.14 Billion Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
Trump FY 2021 Budget Proposed To Eliminate Ability Of Individuals To Receive Both Unemployment Insurance And Disability Insurance By Offsetting Disability Insurance. According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “Offset overlapping unemployment and disability payments—The Budget proposes to close a loophole that allows individuals to receive unemployment insurance (UI) and DI for the same period of joblessness. UI is intended to compensate individuals for short-term bouts of unemployment while they look to return to work while DI is intended to compensate individuals who cannot return to work on a long-term basis due to a disability. The proposal would offset the DI benefit to account for concurrent receipt of UI benefits.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated DI Offset By UI Would Save $2.188 Billion Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
Trump FY 2021 Budget Sought To Allow SSA To Offset Disability Insurance Benefits If A Worker Had Received Worker’s Compensation Or Public Disability Benefits.” According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “Eliminate Workers’ Compensation (WC) and Temporary Disability Reverse Offset—In most States, if an individual concurrently receives WC or Public Disability Benefits (PDB) and DI, SSA may offset his or her DI benefits. Currently, some States instead have “reverse offset,” whereby the WC or PDB is reduced due to the receipt of DI benefits. This proposal would eliminate reverse offsets in these States, allowing SSA to consistently offset DI benefits because of WC or PDB receipt (when needed) regardless of the State in which the WC is being paid, and require all States to provide SSA with State WC and PDB information.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated Offset On DI From Those Who Had Received Workers Compensation Or Public Disability Benefits Would Save $189 Million Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
Trump FY 2021 Budget Accounted For Approximately $12.6 Billion Savings From Reductions In Improper Payments. According to Donald Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Proposal Major Savings and Reforms, “In addition, the Budget includes legislative proposals that would avert approximately $12.6 billion in improper payments in Social Security over 10 years. Detailed information on each proposal, as well as administrative actions to reduce improper payments that result in $11 billion in outlay savings over 10 years, is available in the Payment Integrity chapter in the Analytical Perspectives volume.” [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
- Trump’s FY 2021 Budget Estimated The “Improve Payment Integrity” Line Item Would Save $12.552 Billion Over 10 Years. [Trump FY 2021 Major Savings and Reforms, Accessed 8/18/23]
¶ Vought Continued To Promote Cuts Into 2023
2023: Vought Stressed Medicaid And Medicare Reform According to Media Matters, "'He then returned to Social Security and Medicare. “We have to reform those programs over time, but I think if you care about those programs and you're a budget cutter the most important thing is to make progress on what you can cut in the appropriations process,' Vought continued. 'The bureaucracy that's aimed against your people and then to go after the social safety net that has become a benefit hammock.'" [Media Matters, 9/3/23]
¶ Christian Nationalism And Anti-Muslim Sentiment
| Vought, a self-described Christian nationalist, advocated for embedding Christianity into government and public policy while condemning religious minorities. He notably wrote that Muslims “stand condemned” for rejecting Jesus Christ, framing his belief that non-Christians lack a meaningful relationship with God. Vought promoted a “Christian immigration ethic,” calling for mass deportations and suggesting non-Christian immigrants’ ability to assimilate. In a separate incident, Vought attacked a Jewish congressman for condemning a Christian supremacist tweet and questioned his family’s values as conservatives. While Vought described his Christian nationalism as a benign effort to preserve America’s “Judeo-Christian heritage,” experts on Christian nationalism said Vought embraced religious and racial supremacy. |
¶ Vought Was A Self-Described Christian Nationalist And Defended Christian Influence In Government
Washington Post Referred To Vought As A “Self Described Christian Nationalist” And Summarized His Plans To Harness Presidential Power In Trump’s Second Term. According to the Washington Post, “A battle-tested D.C. bureaucrat and self-described Christian nationalist is drawing up detailed plans for a sweeping expansion of presidential power in a second Trump administration. Russ Vought, who served as the former president’s budget chief, calls his political strategy for razing long-standing guardrails ‘radical constitutionalism.’ He has helped craft proposals for Donald Trump to deploy the military to quash civil unrest, seize more control over the Justice Department and assert the power to withhold congressional appropriations — and that’s just on Trump’s first day back in office. Vought, 48, is poised to steer this agenda from an influential perch in the White House, potentially as Trump’s chief of staff, according to some people involved in discussions about a second term who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Argued That Christianity Should Influence Government And Society In An Op-Ed Titled “Is There Anything Actually Wrong With ‘Christian Nationalism?’ According to the Washington Post, “Vought also embraces Christian nationalism, a hard-right movement that seeks to infuse Christianity into all aspects of society, including government. He penned a 2021 Newsweek essay that disputed allegations of bias and asked, ‘Is There Anything Actually Wrong With ‘Christian Nationalism?’’ He argued for ‘an institutional separation between church and state, but not the separation of Christianity from its influence on government and society.’ Looking at immigration through that lens, Vought has called for ‘mass deportation’ of illegal immigrants and a ‘Christian immigration ethic’ that would strictly limit the types of people allowed entry into the United States. At a 2023 conference organized by Christian and right-wing groups, he questioned whether legal immigration is ‘healthy’ because, in a politically polarized climate, ‘immigration only increases and exasperates the divisions that we face in the country.’ In a podcast interview last year, Vought said it’s appropriate to question whether immigrants ‘have any sense of the Judeo-Christian worldview that this country was founded on,’ adding, ‘And that doesn’t mean we don’t give religious liberty, but it does mean — are they wanting to come here and assimilate?’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Defended Christian Nationalism As A “Benign And Useful Description” And Argued That Americans Had A Shared Religious Heritage Of Christianity. According to Russell Vought in a Newsweek op-ed, “This debate is important, though—once stripped of its superimposed liberal scar tissue, ‘Christian nationalism’ is actually a rather benign and useful description for those who believe in both preserving our country's Judeo-Christian heritage and making public policy decisions that are best for this country. The term need not be subjected to such intense scorn due to misunderstanding or slander. […] As for the Christian part of ‘Christian nationalism,’ part of being a nation is a shared religious heritage. And in America, that historical heritage is, of course, Christianity. This is where the distinction between the nation and the state comes into play. The state is a government that rests on and includes much of a nation. According to Hazony, ‘A nation can exist independently of the state, and does not have to include every individual within the state.’ When our Founders formed the United States of America, they instituted a state to govern a nation and provided a Constitution that protects religious liberty and every individual's right of conscience. But they were not intending to create a secular society divorced of all religion.” [Russell Vought, “Is There Anything Actually Wrong With ‘Christian Nationalism?’” Newsweek, 3/22/21]
¶ Vought Wrote Muslims Have A “Deficient” Theology And “They Stand Condemned”
2016: Vought Wrote That Muslims Have A “Deficient Theology,” And “They Have Rejected Jesus Christ… They Stand Condemned.” According to Russell Vought in an op-ed in the Resurgent, “Stackhouse implies that someone could really ‘know God’ without a focus on Jesus. He explains, ‘Having a deficient (e.g., nontrinitarian) theology of God…does not mean you are not in actual prayerful and faithful relationship with God. (Having wrong ideas about a person…doesn’t mean that you do not have a relationship with that person.)’ This is the fundamental problem. Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned. In John 8:19, ‘Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ In Luke 10:16, Jesus says, ‘The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.’ And in John 3:18, Jesus says, ‘Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.’” [Russell Vought, “Wheaton College and the Preservation of Theological Clarity,” The Resurgent, 1/17/16 via Internet Archive]
Vought Wrote That He Disagreed With A Theologian Who Argued That Some Non-Christians Can Have A Meaningful Relationship With God, And Wrote That Muslims Rejected Jesus And Stood Condemned. According to NPR, “Vought, an alumnus of Wheaton, wrote a blog post last year expressing support for his alma mater. He quoted a theologian who said non-Christians have a ‘deficient’ theology but could have a meaningful relationship with God. Vought disagreed. ‘Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology,’ Vought wrote. ‘They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.’” [NPR, 6/9/17]
Vought’s Op-Ed Was In Defense Of His Alma Mater Wheaton College, After They Moved To Terminate A Professor After She Advocated Solidarity Between Christians And Muslims And Said The Two Religious Groups “Worship The Same God.” According to Russell Vought in an op-ed in the Resurgent, “Wheaton College, my alma mater, is in the midst of a firestorm over its response to Dr. Larycia Hawkins’ controversial comments seeking solidarity with Muslims and her argument that Christians ‘worship the same God.’ Wheaton recently commenced termination proceedings with Dr. Hawkins, finding her reaffirmations of the Statement of Faith unsatisfactory. While many faculty, alumni, and outside observers are typically outraged and embarrassed by this ‘assault on academic freedom,’ I am proud of the school and hope they stand their ground. […] Given all of this, Wheaton is wise to end Dr. Hawkins’ employment at the school. They have begun that process, and I hope they stay the course. They deserve credit for their courage. It is not easy to make decisions that run so counter to the prevailing cultural currents, and yet this is what is required to remain Wheaton College.” [Russell Vought op-ed, The Resurgent, 1/17/16 via Internet Archive]
¶ Vought Proposed An Approach To Immigration That Favored Christian Immigrants
Vought Called For A “Christian Immigration Ethic” And Suggested Immigrants Should Be Screened On Whether They Were Willing To Assimilate To “Judeo-Christian” Religiosity. According to the Washington Post, “Vought also embraces Christian nationalism, a hard-right movement that seeks to infuse Christianity into all aspects of society, including government. He penned a 2021 Newsweek essay that disputed allegations of bias and asked, ‘Is There Anything Actually Wrong With ‘Christian Nationalism?’’ He argued for ‘an institutional separation between church and state, but not the separation of Christianity from its influence on government and society.’ Looking at immigration through that lens, Vought has called for ‘mass deportation’ of illegal immigrants and a ‘Christian immigration ethic’ that would strictly limit the types of people allowed entry into the United States. At a 2023 conference organized by Christian and right-wing groups, he questioned whether legal immigration is ‘healthy’ because, in a politically polarized climate, ‘immigration only increases and exasperates the divisions that we face in the country.’ In a podcast interview last year, Vought said it’s appropriate to question whether immigrants ‘have any sense of the Judeo-Christian worldview that this country was founded on,’ adding, ‘And that doesn’t mean we don’t give religious liberty, but it does mean — are they wanting to come here and assimilate?’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Suggested Even Legal Immigration Was Not “Healthy” And Suggested It Exasperated Divisions, And Floated Religious Tests For Immigrants. According to the Washington Post, “Looking at immigration through that lens, Vought has called for ‘mass deportation’ of illegal immigrants and a ‘Christian immigration ethic’ that would strictly limit the types of people allowed entry into the United States. At a 2023 conference organized by Christian and right-wing groups, he questioned whether legal immigration is ‘healthy’ because, in a politically polarized climate, ‘immigration only increases and exasperates the divisions that we face in the country.’ In a podcast interview last year, Vought said it’s appropriate to question whether immigrants ‘have any sense of the Judeo-Christian worldview that this country was founded on,’ adding, ‘And that doesn’t mean we don’t give religious liberty, but it does mean — are they wanting to come here and assimilate?’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Georgetown Professor Paul D. Miller, Who Published A Book On Christian Nationalism, Characterized Vought As A Racial And Religious Supremacist. According to the Washington Post, “Vought’s views amount to a kind of Anglo-Protestant cultural supremacism, said Paul D. Miller, a Georgetown University professor who published a book critiquing Christian nationalism. ‘The Civil War taught us that America is big and broad and strong enough to include non-Christians and nonWhites,’ Miller wrote in an email to The Post. ‘It also should have taught us that the greatest threat to the American vision are racial and religious supremacists.’” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Attacked A Jewish Congressman And Questioned His Family’s Conservative Values After The Congressman Condemned A “Bigoted” Tweet
¶ In 2023, Jewish Ohio Congressman Max Miller Condemned A Tweet That Said There Was “No Hope For Any Of Us Outside Of Having Faith In Jesus Christ Alone”
Ohio Congressman Max Miller Condemned A Tweet From Lizzie Marbach That Said There Was “No Hope For Any Of Us Outside Of Having Faith In Jesus Christ Alone.” According to Max Miller’s Twitter, “This is one of the most bigoted tweets I have ever seen. Delete it, Lizzie. Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion. You have gone too far.”
[Twitter, @MaxMillerOH, 8/15/23]
- Max Miller Was A Jewish Former Trump Staffer Who Ran For Congress On The West Side Of Cleveland In 2022. According to Cleveland Jewish News, “Max Miller, the grandson of the late Samuel H. Miller, former co-chairman emeritus of Forest City Realty Trust, Inc., told the Cleveland Jewish News Feb. 22 that he is considering a run for the House of Representatives’ 16th District of Ohio seat. Miller is a former White House aide to President Donald Trump from 2016 until he left office in 2021. He served as an aide in Trump’s 2016 campaign, then as 2020 deputy campaign manager and then senior adviser at the White House following the 2020 election. The seat is held by Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who has come under fire from fellow Republicans for his vote to impeach Trump during Trump’s second impeachment hearing. Miller, 32, grew up in Shaker Heights and recently bought a house in Rocky River, which is part of Gonzalez’s district. A graduate of Shaker Heights High School’s class of 2007, Miller received a bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University. He celebrated his bar mitzvah and was confirmed at Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike.” [Cleveland Jewish News, 2/22/21]
¶ Vought Attacked Miller For Condemning The Tweet And Used It To Call Into Question The Conservative Bonafides Of Bernie Moreno, Max Miller’s Father-In-Law
2023: Vought Attacked Miller For Condemning The Tweet And Used It To Call Into Question The Conservative Bonafides Of Bernie Moreno, Max Miller’s Father-In-Law. According to Vought’s Twitter, “I expect it from Bernie Sanders but a Republican Congressman from Ohio with thousands of Christian constituents & the son in law of the candidate every one is telling me is the most conservative in the race? Hard to believe.”
[Twitter, @russvought, 8/15/23]
¶ Outlawing Abortion To Force Increase In “Western” Birth Rate
| Vought advocated for a national ban on the drugs used in medical abortion and proposed creating a “special assistant to the president” to enforce anti-abortion policies. He raised concerns about declining birth rates among “families of the West,” framing abortion and contraception restrictions as a solution. Vought vouched for Trump’s anti-abortion credentials before the anti-abortion lobby by giving him total credit for ending Roe V. Wade. Critics noted Vought’s hardline advocacy for national abortion restrictions contradicted Trump’s “state’s rights” rhetoric on the issue. |
¶ Vought Called For Congress To Ban The Drugs Used In Medical Abortion
Vought Called For Congress To Ban The Drugs Used In Medical Abortion. According to the Washington Post, “On abortion policy, Vought calls for Congress to outlaw the drugs used in medical abortions — a hard-line stance at odds with some Republicans, who are sidestepping an issue that has galvanized Democrats in recent elections. ‘My personal story has fortified my beliefs,’ Vought told antiabortion activists in 2020, describing how his younger daughter, now 10 years old, was born with cystic fibrosis.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Proposed Establishing An Anti-Abortion Czar To Advise Trump On Implementing Abortion restrictions
Vought Proposed A “Special Assistant To The President” Or Czar To Ensure Implementation Of Anti-Abortion Policies. According to the Washington Post, “Vought proposes in his Project 2025 chapter a new special assistant to the president to ensure ‘implementation of policies related to the promotion of life and family.’ To Vought, that means curbing abortion — and boosting the birthrate. ‘The families of the West are not having enough babies for their societies to endure,’ he wrote in a Center for Renewing America policy paper. When Trump said this spring that abortion limits should be left to the states and was silent on a national ban, disappointing some antiabortion leaders, Vought urged them not to lose faith. ‘Trust the man who delivered the end of Roe when all the other pro life politicians could not,’ he said.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Advocated For Restricting Abortion As A Solution For “Families Of The West” Not Having Enough Babies
Vought Raised Concerns About “Families Of The West” Not Having Enough Babies And Advocated For Restricting Abortion As A Solution. According to the Washington Post, “Vought proposes in his Project 2025 chapter a new special assistant to the president to ensure ‘implementation of policies related to the promotion of life and family.’ To Vought, that means curbing abortion — and boosting the birthrate. ‘The families of the West are not having enough babies for their societies to endure,’ he wrote in a Center for Renewing America policy paper. When Trump said this spring that abortion limits should be left to the states and was silent on a national ban, disappointing some antiabortion leaders, Vought urged them not to lose faith. ‘Trust the man who delivered the end of Roe when all the other pro life politicians could not,’ he said.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Gave Trump Express Credit For Ending Roe To Placate Trump’s Anti-Abortion Critics
Vought Gave Trump Express Credit For Ending Roe And Pointed To Trump’s Involvement In Overturning Roe To Placate Trump’s Anti-Abortion Critics. According to the Washington Post, “Vought proposes in his Project 2025 chapter a new special assistant to the president to ensure ‘implementation of policies related to the promotion of life and family.’ To Vought, that means curbing abortion — and boosting the birthrate. ‘The families of the West are not having enough babies for their societies to endure,’ he wrote in a Center for Renewing America policy paper. When Trump said this spring that abortion limits should be left to the states and was silent on a national ban, disappointing some antiabortion leaders, Vought urged them not to lose faith. ‘Trust the man who delivered the end of Roe when all the other pro life politicians could not,’ he said.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ 2020 Election Denial And January 6
| Vought endorsed false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, comparing media debunking of voter fraud allegations to Chinese communist propaganda. He defended Jeffrey Clark, a Trump lawyer charged for attempting to overturn election results in Georgia, calling him a “patriot” and turning his think tank into a hub for election denial. Vought also described individuals detained for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack as “political prisoners” and accused the government of imprisoning political opponents as part of a supposed Marxist takeover. His rhetoric mirrored Trump’s and fueled conspiracy theories about the integrity of American elections. |
¶ Vought Was An Election Denier Who Likened American Media To Chinese Propaganda For Debunking False Fraud Claims
2022: Vought Said “I Think The Election Was Stolen” During An Interview With Trump Activists Diamond And Silk. According to the Washington Post, “Since Biden took office, Vought has turned the Center for Renewing America into a hub of Trump loyalists, including Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department lawyer later charged in Georgia with trying to overturn Biden’s victory in 2020. Vought called Clark, who has pleaded not guilty, ‘a patriot who risked his career to help expose voter fraud.’ ‘I think the election was stolen,’ Vought said in a 2022 interview with Trump activists Diamond and Silk. He is no longer in touch with Pence, his longtime patron, who has said Trump’s efforts to overturn the vote disqualified him from serving as president again, according to people familiar with the relationship who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive topic.”[Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Endorsed The False Claim That The 2020 Election Was Stolen, And Likened The Media’s Debunkings To Chinese Propaganda. According to ProPublica, “Echoing Trump’s rhetoric, Vought implicitly endorsed the false claim of a stolen 2020 election and likened the media’s debunkings of that claim to Chinese Communist propaganda. ‘In the aftermath of the election, we had all these people going around saying, ‘Well, I don’t see any evidence of voter fraud. The media’s not giving enough [of] a compelling case,’’ he said. ‘Well, that compelling case has emerged. But does a Christian in China ask and come away saying, ‘You know, there’s no persecution, because I haven’t read about it in the state regime press?’ No, they don’t.’” [ProPublica, 10/28/24]
¶ Vought Defended People Involved In The Plot To Overturn The 2020 Election
Vought Employed Jeffrey Clark, A Trump Lawyer Who Was Charged In Georgia For Trying To Overturn Biden’s Victory In The State, And Called Him “A Patriot Who Risked His Career To Help Expose Voter Fraud.” According to the Washington Post, “Since Biden took office, Vought has turned the Center for Renewing America into a hub of Trump loyalists, including Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department lawyer later charged in Georgia with trying to overturn Biden’s victory in 2020. Vought called Clark, who has pleaded not guilty, ‘a patriot who risked his career to help expose voter fraud.’ ‘I think the election was stolen,’ Vought said in a 2022 interview with Trump activists Diamond and Silk. He is no longer in touch with Pence, his longtime patron, who has said Trump’s efforts to overturn the vote disqualified him from serving as president again, according to people familiar with the relationship who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive topic.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Call Participants In The January 6 Attack On The Capitol “Patriots” And “Political Prisoners”
Vought Characterized People Detained For Alleged Crimes Committed On January 6 As “Political Prisoners” And Accused The Government Of Imprisoning Political Opponents. According to ProPublica, “Vought referred to the people detained for alleged crimes committed on Jan. 6, 2021, as ‘political prisoners’ and defended the lawyers Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman, who have both faced criminal charges for their role in Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Federal law enforcement agencies, he added, ‘are keeping political opponents in jail, and I think we need to be honest about that.’ The left, Vought continued, has the ultimate goal of ending representative democracy altogether. ‘The stark reality in America is that we are in the late stages of a complete Marxist takeover of the country,’ he said, ‘in which our adversaries already hold the weapons of the government apparatus, and they have aimed it at us. And they are going to continue to aim it until they no longer have to win elections.’” [ProPublica, 10/28/24]
¶ Obstruction Of Ukraine Aid
| Vought oversaw the Office of Management and Budget’s freeze on military aid to Ukraine while Trump pressured its government to investigate Joe Biden, a central issue that led to Trump’s first impeachment. The Government Accountability Office concluded that Vought’s office broke the law. Vought defied a congressional subpoena during the impeachment inquiry, dismissing it as a “#shamprocess.” After leaving office, he continued to oppose U.S. aid to Ukraine, arguing it prioritized Ukraine’s border over domestic issues and prolonged unnecessary conflict. |
¶ Vought Oversaw The Office Of Management And Budget’s Ukraine Aid Freeze, Which Led To Trump’s First Impeachment
Vought’s Office Stopped Military Aid To Ukraine While Trump Pressed Its Government To Investigate Joe Biden, Prompting Trump’s First Impeachment. According to the Washington Post, “When Congress blocked additional funding for Trump’s border wall, the budget office in early 2020 redirected billions of dollars from the Pentagon to what became one of the most expensive federal infrastructure projects in U.S. history. And it was Vought’s office that held up military aid to Ukraine as Trump pressed the government to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, prompting the president’s first impeachment. Vought defied a congressional subpoena during the impeachment inquiry, which he mocked as a ‘#shamprocess.’ The Government Accountability Office concluded that his office broke the law, a claim Vought disputed. Near the end of Trump’s presidency, Vought helped launch his biggest broadside at the ‘deep state’ — an order to strip the civil service protections of up to tens of thousands of federal employees. The administration did not have time to fully implement the order.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
Vought Defied A Congressional Subpoena During Trump’s Impeachment Inquiry And Referred To The Investigation As A “Sham Process.” According to the Washington Post, “When Congress blocked additional funding for Trump’s border wall, the budget office in early 2020 redirected billions of dollars from the Pentagon to what became one of the most expensive federal infrastructure projects in U.S. history. And it was Vought’s office that held up military aid to Ukraine as Trump pressed the government to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, prompting the president’s first impeachment. Vought defied a congressional subpoena during the impeachment inquiry, which he mocked as a ‘#shamprocess.’ The Government Accountability Office concluded that his office broke the law, a claim Vought disputed. Near the end of Trump’s presidency, Vought helped launch his biggest broadside at the ‘deep state’ — an order to strip the civil service protections of up to tens of thousands of federal employees. The administration did not have time to fully implement the order.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ GAO: Vought Broke The Law In The Ukraine Aid Affair
The Government Accountability Office Concluded That Vought Broke The Law In The Ukraine Aid Affair. According to the Washington Post, “When Congress blocked additional funding for Trump’s border wall, the budget office in early 2020 redirected billions of dollars from the Pentagon to what became one of the most expensive federal infrastructure projects in U.S. history. And it was Vought’s office that held up military aid to Ukraine as Trump pressed the government to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, prompting the president’s first impeachment. Vought defied a congressional subpoena during the impeachment inquiry, which he mocked as a ‘#shamprocess.’ The Government Accountability Office concluded that his office broke the law, a claim Vought disputed. Near the end of Trump’s presidency, Vought helped launch his biggest broadside at the ‘deep state’ — an order to strip the civil service protections of up to tens of thousands of federal employees. The administration did not have time to fully implement the order.” [Washington Post, 6/8/24]
¶ Vought Opposed Aid To Ukraine
2022: Vought Continued To Oppose Aid To Ukraine. According to Defense One, “Conservative groups are lobbying members of Congress to vote against the White House’s request for additional money for Ukraine, arguing that the administration is asking for a blank check with no long-term plan to end the war. […] Others, including Russ Vought, president of the Center for Renewing America and former director of the Office of Management and Budget, also slammed the request for more aid. ‘The American people are tired of the neoconservative policy consensus that demands billions of their tax dollars be spent to defend the integrity of Ukraine’s border when resources and stewardship cannot be found to address our own,’ Vought said. ‘This new package will prolong a fight that lacks an American dog, allowing regional allies to shirk their security responsibilities yet again.’” [Defense One, 9/9/22]
¶ Pornography Ban
¶ Vought Wanted To Ban Pornography And Imprison Its Producers
Vought Told Two Undercover Reporters In A Secret Recording That One Of The Goals Of His Think Tank And Project 2025 Was To Ban Pornography Nationally And Imprison People Who Made It. According to The Intercept, “I actually never talk about our porn agenda,’ said Russell Vought, a former top Trump administration official, in late July. Vought was chatting with two men he thought were potential donors to his right-wing think tank, the Center for Renewing America. For the last three years, Vought and the CRA have been pushing laws that require porn websites to verify their visitors are not minors, on the argument that children need to be protected from smut. […] But in a wide-ranging, covertly recorded conversation with two undercover operatives — a paid actor and a reporter for the British journalism nonprofit Centre for Climate Reporting — Vought let them in on a thinly veiled secret: These age verification laws are a pretext for restricting access to porn more broadly. ‘We came up with an idea on pornography to make it so that the porn companies bear the liability for the underage use,’ Vought said, ‘as opposed to the person who visits the website getting to just certify’ that they are of legal age. Vought called this a ‘back door starting with the kids’ and offered the age verification laws as an example of an ‘immediate fight leverage point that we can win’ that sets up ‘the next fight.’ ‘We’d have a national ban on pornography if we could, right?’ he added. Vought contributed a chapter to the Project 2025 manifesto, which argues in the foreword that all pornography ‘should be outlawed’ and its producers ‘imprisoned.’” [The Intercept, 8/16/24]