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The Senate confirmed Russell Vought as White House budget director on Thursday night, putting an official who has planned the zealous expansion of President Donald Trump's power into one of the most influential positions in the federal government.

The Republican-led U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee Russell Vought as budget director on Thursday, placing the reins of government funding in the hands of hardline conservative who has advocated for reducing Congress's power over taxpayer dollars.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted along party lines Thursday to confirm Russell Vought as the next head of the Office of Management and Budget despite fierce pushback from Democrats. Although Democrats have been divided over various Trump nominees, they unified in opposition to Vought.

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor, left, arrives to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Democrats fought the OMB nominee's confirmation, elevating a little-known agency head to the national spotlight amid larger anxieties about the fate of congressional spending authority.

Vought's return to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which he also helmed during Trump's first term, would put him in a role that often goes under the public radar