Russell Vought

Russell Thurlow Vought (born March 26, 1976) is an American government official who has served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget since July 2020. He was previously Deputy Director of the OMB from 2018 to 2020 and Acting Director from 2019 to 2020.

Russ Vought
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Incumbent
Assumed office July 22, 2020 Acting: January 2, 2019 – July 22, 2020[lower-alpha 1]
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Derek Kan
Preceded by	Mick Mulvaney
Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
In office March 14, 2018 – July 22, 2020
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Brian Deese
Succeeded by	Derek Kan
Personal details
Born	(1976-03-26) March 26, 1976
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mary
Children	2
Education	Wheaton College, Illinois (BA) George Washington University (JD)

Education

Vought earned his Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College and his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School.

Career

Russell Vought being sworn in as Director, in July 2020

Vought served for seven years as the vice president of Heritage Action.[1][2] He has also served as the executive director and budget director of the Republican Study Committee, as the policy director for the Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives, and as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Phil Gramm.[3][4]

In April 2017, President Trump nominated Vought to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 28, 2018, in a 50–49 vote. Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote.[5]

In 2015, Vought's alma mater, Wheaton College – an evangelical Christian institution – suspended Larycia Hawkins, a tenured professor, because she stated that Muslims worship the same God as Christians. This sparked a debate in the Wheaton community regarding how Christian theology should understand Islam and its relationship to salvation.[6] In January 2016, Vought weighed in on this theological debate in a blog post in which he stated, "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."[7][8] During the confirmation hearings for Vought's nomination to the Office of Management and Budget, Senator Bernie Sanders questioned him about this statement. The Atlantic magazine and various Christian organizations denounced Sanders' questioning as a violation of the No Religious Test Clause.[8][9]

On January 2, 2019, when Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney became Acting White House Chief of Staff, Vought became the acting OMB director, though Mulvaney continued to hold the director position.[10][11]

On March 18, 2020, President Trump announced his intent to nominate him to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget.[12] Vought was confirmed by the Senate on July 20, 2020, by a vote of 51–45;[13] he was sworn in two days later.[14]

See also

• Christianity and Islam
• Jesus in Islam
• Trump–Ukraine scandal

Notes

1. Vought was Acting Director from January 2, 2019 to March 31, 2020, during Mulvaney's term as Acting White House Chief of Staff; Vought continued in that position until being sworn in on July 22, 2020.

References

1. "Heritage Action Congratulates Heritage Action Alum Russell Vought on…". Heritage Action For America. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
2. Edwards, Jane (April 10, 2017). "Russell Vought to Be Nominated OMB Deputy Chief". ExecutiveGov. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
3. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. April 7, 2017. Archived from the original on April 8, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
4. Graff, Garrett (August 13, 2008). "The Insider: Russell Vought". Washingtonian. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
5. https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/mike-pence-breaks-another-tie-senate-vote Roll Call. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
6. Hauser, Christine (December 16, 2015). "Wheaton College Professor Is Put on Leave After Remarks on Islam". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
7. "Wheaton College and the Preservation of Theological Clarity". The Resurgent. January 17, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
8. Camila Domonoske (June 9, 2017). "Is It Hateful To Believe In Hell? Bernie Sanders' Questions Prompt Backlash". NPR. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
9. Green, Emma (June 8, 2017). "Bernie Sanders's Religious Test for Christians in Public Office". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
10. Wilhelm, Colin (December 14, 2018). "Former Heritage Action executive Russell Vought to act as Trump administration budget chief". Washington Examiner. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
11. Lemire, Jonathan; Colvin, Jill; Lucey, Catherine (December 15, 2018). "Budget Head Mulvaney Picked as Trump's Acting Chief of Staff". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
12. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts". The White House. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
13. Kiernan, Paul (July 20, 2020). "Senate Confirms Russell Vought as Head of White House Budget Office". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
14. Russell Vought [@RussVought45] (July 23, 2020). "Being sworn in as OMB Director by @realDonaldTrump & @VP was a moment I'll never forget. It's the honor of a lifetime to serve this great country & the American people under their leadership. I also want to thank my family for being at my side & their unwavering love & support" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 24, 2020 – via Twitter.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by Brian Deese	Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget 2018–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Mick Mulvaney	Director of the Office of Management and Budget 2019–present Acting: 2019–2020