OMB Director: DOGE Here to Stay, May Bypass Congress on DOGE Cuts

Defending DOGE, arguing for more workers for his own agency, and hinting that the White House may use impoundment, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought faced members of Congress at a budget hearing. 

On the subject of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Director Vought said that even without Elon Musk and Musk deputy Steve Davis, DOGE is “here to stay” and is even becoming “much more institutionalized at agencies going forward.” 

“Many DOGE employees and [full-time equivalents] are at the agencies, working almost as in-house consultants as a part of the agency’s leadership,” Vought said in testimony before the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. “And I think, you know, the leadership of DOGE is now much more decentralized.”

Director Vought also hinted at using impoundment to get some DOGE cuts enacted without getting Congressional approval. Impoundment is when the White House withholds funds appropriated by Congress, and is illegal per the 1974 budget law. Vought and President Trump have made clear they disagree with the law.

And according to a Politico profile, Director Vought may have the inside knowledge on how to get DOGE cuts to stick, as opposed to Musk.

Quizzed on Budget

Members of Congress of both parties also hammered Director Vought on the lack of a full budget proposal, with congressional appropriators beginning to markup bills. 

“Where’s the budget?” asked Representative Steve Womack (R-AR). 

“You have the skinny budget, discretionary budget in full,” replied Director Vought, which he said allows the House funding “to get the appropriations process moving forward.” 

Director Vought defended his request for more staffers at OMB, despite pushing workforce cuts at most other federal agencies. 

Asked by Representative David Joyce (R-OH), why his agency needs more workers while others are cutting staff, the director replied, “The reality is we've held constant for many, many years at the 500 [employee] level, even though the size of government has increased.”

Director Vought also tried to walk back previous comments on federal workers saying he wanted them to be “traumatically affected” by government policy. “It's never been my desire to traumatize individuals or workers at federal agencies,” said Director Vought at the hearing.

PEPFAR Funding

Vought was also on the defensive about proposed cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The program is considered one of America’s most consequential programs in Africa and is credited with saving 25 million lives and scaling back the AIDS epidemic. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed opposition to cutting the program.  

“It is something that our budget will be very trim on because we believe that many of these nonprofits are not geared toward the viewpoints of the administration, and we’re $37 trillion in debt,” said Director Vought. “So, at some point, the continent of Africa needs to absorb more of the burden of providing this health care.”