Coalition Letter Opposing Russell Vought’s Nomination to be OMB Director
View a PDF of the letter here.
Dear Senator,
On behalf of 46 national organizations, we urge you not to confirm Russell Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in light of the illegal, harmful, and unconstitutional actions taken recently by OMB to pause federal grants, loans, and financial assistance. The OMB memo,[1] which was pulled directly from Vought’s Project 2025 playbook, spread chaos and confusion across our government and directly resulted in disruptions to critical programs including Medicaid and Head Start. Vought has a long record of advocating for budgetary actions that are illegal and that conflict with Congress’s constitutional powers on matters of tax and spending, including his support for impoundment. We are grateful that so many members of Congress stepped in to make clear that this funding disruption is illegal and dangerous. We now urge Senators to defend our Constitution and reject his nomination altogether.
As a result of the public backlash and chaos it created, the Trump administration was forced to rescind its memo just two days after it was issued.[2] The harm it caused was significant and there remains widespread confusion about which programs are being illegally frozen and cut. We heard panic and confusion from state and local leaders, federal workers, nonprofits that provide vital services, and numerous workers and families that rely upon essential federal programs to meet their needs, even as some of the programs that were supposed to be unaffected went immediately offline. If the memo had been fully implemented as intended, the freeze would have blocked billions of dollars in funding appropriated by Congress, generated even greater chaos, and would have undoubtedly hurt women, families, and businesses.
Although the Administration pulled back its memo in response to broad public backlash, we know that this won’t be the last attempt to disrupt essential government-funded programs. OMB is committed to illegally clawing back funding from various programs and redirecting it toward other political priorities that have not been authorized by Congress. This is funding that Congress has already appropriated, and that OMB has no legal authority to pause, cut, or steal. It is an unconstitutional and illegal power grab by the White House that puts millions of Americans at risk. Cuts to these programs would raise costs for working people and threaten support for their education, child care, health care, and overall security.
What we are seeing play out is Russell Vought’s vision for America, where Congress’s powers are usurped, essential programs are slashed, and civil servants are put “in trauma.” Vought’s instinct to seize power regardless of the law and the constitutionally granted powers of Congress should disqualify him from serving in a position tasked with maintaining order and cohesion across government agencies.
It would be a dereliction of Congress’s duty to rubber stamp a nominee willing to stretch presidential authority to unprecedented and illegal limits at the cost of the stability and wellbeing of states, communities, and families. OMB is vital for governmental stability, not a vehicle for political brinksmanship.
Again, we appreciate all the work that you have done to push back against the chaos and harm caused by OMB’s recent actions. We urge you to continue to fight back against attempts to highjack our constitutionally mandated democratic funding process by not moving forward with Russell Vought’s confirmation.
Sincerely,
Accountable.US
AFT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Friends Service Committee
American Oversight
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Center for Media and Democracy
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Coalition on Human Needs
Court Accountability Action
DemCast USA
Drug Policy Alliance
Equal Rights Advocates
Family Centered Treatment Foundation
Family Values @ Work
First Focus on Children
Girls for Gender Equity
Groundwork Action
Indivisible
MomsRising
Mujeres Latinas en Acción
National Action Network
National Association Social Workers
National Council of Jewish Women
National Employment Law Project
National Women’s Law Center
National Women’s Political Caucus
National Health Law Program
P Street
Paid Leave for All
People For the American Way
People Power United
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Connection Action Fund
Power to Decide
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
RootsAction
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Shattering Glass
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Secular Coalition for America
Trans Empowerment Project
UltraViolet Action
[1] https://dcg.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/OMB-Memo-Pause.pdf
[2] Note that even this rescission was done in a confusing and inconsistent manner. Official Trump administration spokespersons have declared that the funding pause will continue despite the withdrawal of the memo.