Who Is Russell Vought? Inside The Trump Budget Director's Bold Moves

Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, is emerging as a powerful architect of President Donald Trump's aggressive approach to federal spending, regulatory rollback, and executive authority.

This spring, while preparing the Trump administration's 2026 budget, Vought faced unexpected interference. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency reportedly began cutting items that Vought had planned to keep.

“We're going to let DOGE break things, and we'll pick up the pieces later,” Vought allegedly told his staff during a moment of frustration, according to three people familiar with the exchange.

The New York Times notes that Vought's spokeswoman, Rachel Cauley, denied he made the comment or felt frustrated by Musk. Six colleagues said Vought felt sidelined by the chaos.

Vought, 49, who also directed the White House Office of Management and Budget during Trump's first term, spent four years outside of power, quietly plotting a comeback. As per the news outlet, he drafted detailed plans to expand presidential authority, including powers over spending, firing federal employees, controlling independent agencies, and deregulating the economy.

Since Musk's fallout with Trump, Vought has moved to execute his plans, reshaping executive power and pressing Congress to comply with his directives. According to the news outlet:

Vought pressured lawmakers to cancel $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting, leading to the termination of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

He helped pass Trump's domestic policy law, reducing spending on Medicaid and food stamps.

He spearheaded the rollback of hundreds of regulations across environment, health, transportation, food, and worker safety, claiming 245 deregulatory initiatives this year.

At the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, he halted nearly all operations and attempted to fire 90% of the staff.

At the heart of Vought's strategy, associates told The New York Times, is engineering a legal battle over Congress's power over spending, potentially setting a precedent for the president to block funds he opposes. His next move, a“pocket rescission”, would cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid unless Congress votes to stop it by September 30, the fiscal year's end.

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