Why Russell Vought Is One of the Most Powerful People in Washington

Trump’s budget director is working through the system rather than around it.

Russell Vought speaks in front of a microphone while Donald Trump listens, both wearing blue suits with red ties, in front of a blurred painting of a man on a horse. November 3, 2025, 12:01 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Trump’s Second Term

Ongoing reports and analysis

Russell Vought is one of the most powerful people in Washington. The director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), also a leading architect of Project 2025, is running roughshod over federal workers, federal spending, and federal regulations. Quietly, methodically, and brutally, Vought is manifesting the mission that Steve Bannon called for years ago: des

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