Confirmation of Russell Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget

February 6, 2025

The Director of OMB holds immense influence over workers and the allocation of federal resources. As former Director of OMB, Mr. Vought sought to strip job protections from tens of thousands of federal employees by reclassifying them as ‘Schedule F’ workers, who are eligible for politically based, at-will firings. This policy would not only undermine the merit-based civil servant system, but would also give workers little recourse to negotiate fair wages, benefits, or workplace protections.

Prior to and during the nomination process, Mr. Vought was a vocal proponent of invoking the Holman rule, which can be used to target the salaries and anonymity of civil servants. Further, he led the call to demonize civil servants, claiming that federal workers need to be "viewed as the villains” and has supported President Trump's assertion that “faceless bureaucrats” need to be replaced with loyal patriots. This is an incredibly dangerous precedent to set and will enable this administration to undermine the work of experienced, nonpartisan public servants.