Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is drawing attention amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping cancellation of funds previously allocated by Congress. Vought has spent the past few days targeting federal funds intended for so-called “blue states,” prompting enthusiastic celebration among MAGA loyalists.
The New Republic’s Greg Sargent described Vought as delighting in “a sadistic thrill” when he announced Wednesday that, as part of the government shutdown fight, he would inflict punitive spending cuts on states that voted against Trump in 2024. Sargent characterizes Vought as “a shadowy and powerful figure lurking behind the despot’s throne,” who recently tweeted in what Sargent calls a “drunk-on-power rapture.”
Describing Vought as "a shadowy and powerful figure lurking behind the despot’s throne," Sargent said Vought tweeted his"drunk-on-power rapture."
Sargent noticed that even Rep. Mike Lawler (D-NY) told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that some of these cuts would harm his district at a time that he's among the top 2026 election targets Democrats want to take out.
"I’m in New York and I’m a Republican. And obviously, this project cancellation impacts me, and it impacts my district. So, it’s not just Democrats getting impacted," said Lawler.
Sargent said that it's clear Lawler was trying to rebut that Trump was acting with corrupt intent to target his state.
"But Lawler, whose district has a lot of Trump voters in it, is actually confirming something important: An untold number of Republicans will be negatively impacted by Vought’s sick little power trip," wrote Sargent.
There are 223 projects that the White House is canceling, but they are being cagey about where exactly they are, said Sargent.
"There are around a half dozen vulnerable House Republicans in the states where Vought is canceling green energy projects. Will any of these be in their districts? We won’t know until a detailed list emerges, but it’s certainly possible. And who knows how many rank-and-file Republicans will lose jobs from those cancellations, or get hurt by their ripple effects?" he asked.
Sargent highlights that some canceled projects benefit both blue and red states. One, which would have aided Oregon and Washington, also stood to benefit Montana; even Montana’s far-right Gov. Greg Gianforte had touted it as a major economic investment and job creator. Now, that project is gone.
Overall, Sargent concludes that the right’s “owning-the-libs sadism” amounts to little more than “folly and ugliness.”
