GOP senator: Vought has been ‘dreaming’ of shutdown situation ‘since puberty’
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Wednesday said Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Russ Vought has been “dreaming” of this government shutdown “since puberty.”
“OMB Director @russvought has been dreaming about — and meticulously preparing for — the [Sen. Chuck] Schumer Shutdown since puberty,” Lee wrote in a post on social platform X, as the GOP seeks to place blame on Democrats for the lapse in funding. “This is going to empower [President] Trump — and the American people.”
“This is going to be the Democrats’ worst nightmare,” he added.
Vought told House Republicans during a Wednesday call that mass layoffs were just days away, two sources told The Hill. The White House has leaned into the shutdown, seeing it as a way to push forward with the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul the federal workforce and push through its own policy interests.
The OMB director first hinted at the layoffs last week, directing agencies in a memo to “use this opportunity to consider reduction in force (RIF) notices for all employees in programs, projects, or activities” that met certain conditions in a shutdown.
Senators have been unable to agree on a bill to reopen the government, with Republicans arguing that a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) is the best option and Democrats fighting for health care concessions. Lawmakers once again rejected dueling proposals on Wednesday afternoon, pushing another vote to Friday.
While both sides have pointed fingers at each other, Americans are largely split on who is to blame. Nearly half, 47 percent, of respondents in a recent survey said Trump and Republicans were responsible. On the other side, 30 percent pinned the blame on Democrats for the shutdown.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday also said Democratic leaders had not heard from the Trump administration since meeting with the president earlier this week.
“We haven’t heard from the White House since the White House meeting on Monday. The president has been behaving, you know, somewhat erratically and in [an] unconventional fashion in the context of the government shutting down,” Jeffries told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.”
“Clearly, they wanted to shut the government down, unfortunately,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) office for comment.