Russell T. Vought, who returned to power after four years in exile, has spearheaded major policy changes, from reducing Medicaid and food stamps to attempting mass firings. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo(REUTERS)
Republican lawmakers who were happy to see controversial DOGE godfather Elon Musk walk away from the White House are now having to contend with Office of Management and Budget head Russell Vought making their lives miserable with his job-cutting ways, according to a new report.
According to the New Republic’s Alex Shephard, as much as GOP lawmakers want to cut back government services, they also don’t want to have to deal with constituents who can’t get calls answered or see services they depended upon curtail.
Those problems initially arose when Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) hacked away at departments, notably in the Social Security Administration, among others, that had Republicans back on their heels and avoiding town halls.
To that end, when Musk was on his way out the door, many of them hoped that Vought would step into the breach and order cutbacks in a more sensible manner.
According to Shephard, they are now regretting getting the change.
Writing, “the administration is already overplaying its hand, and moreover it’s repeating mistakes that it made just a few months ago when it gave free rein to a different nihilist—Elon Musk—to take a hammer to the government,” he suggested the government shutdown has only exacerbated the problem.
”The president and his White House minions probably don’t believe—or don’t care—that the public blames the GOP more than Democrats for the shutdown,” the analyst observed before reporting, “There are suggestions that Republicans in the Senate—where the shutdown is currently stuck—are particularly frustrated.”
With Trump making waves by stating that furloughed government workers may not receive back pay after consultation with Vought, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told reporters, “I’m not an attorney but I think it’s pretty bad strategy to even say that sort of stuff.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) who had applauded Vought stepping in as the face of cost-cutting is openly having a change of heart.
“It must feel like déjà vu for some Republican senators. Thune, who back in March had urged Musk to hand off DOGE’s work to the Senate-confirmed ‘leaders’ in Trump’s Cabinet, now appears equally frustrated with the Cabinet member to whom this work has been handed off. 'We don’t control what he’s going to do,’" he said. "This is the risk of shutting down the government and handing the keys to Russ Vought.’”
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