Staff Reports
The Senate Budget Committee has taken a major step forward by approving Russell Vought’s nomination as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, despite a full-blown walkout by the committee’s ten Democrat members. It seems the Democrats thought skipping the vote in protest would somehow carry more weight than their actual attendance; perhaps they were busy rehearsing their next social media spiel instead.
The committee’s Republicans had to jump through some hoops to ensure a quorum was met, which took a mere 17 minutes, slightly longer than it takes to boil an egg. All 11 Republican members showed up for the vote, while the Democrats opted for a different route—essentially giving a collective shrug and deciding their absence was a more effective form of protest than, say, participating in the democratic process.
The Democrats’ faux outrage stems from a memo issued by the OMB that temporarily froze federal financial assistance for various grants and loans. After President Biden’s administration hurriedly rescinded the memo, Democrats seemed convinced that Mr. Vought’s confirmation would result in a dystopian collapse of everything they hold dear. They believe they can still spin the narrative that he is a threat, despite Vought’s qualifications and Republican support stacked behind him. Ironically, it seems the party of “doing good” is more concerned with their political games than the financial well-being of citizens.
White House budget director nominee Russell Vought advances despite Democratic protesthttps://t.co/AYtcVCNn5W pic.twitter.com/odK6c6G3ic
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 30, 2025
Chairman Lindsey Graham wasn’t initially inclined to call attention to the Democrats’ dramatic absence but was eventually prompted when a member asked the obvious. Graham simply stated that the Democrats had made a choice—not much different from deciding to sit out a game; it’s one way to avoid getting scored on. It’s Georgia versus Alabama in college football, and the Democrats are sitting on the bleachers with no plans of joining the action.
To cap off this political circus, Sen. Bernie Moreno made news with his take on the Democrats’ behavior, calling it “extremely juvenile” and pointing out that this was hardly the time for a high school musical audition. This raises the question of whether the Democrats view governing as a high-stakes drama or a genuine responsibility. Instead of focusing on productive discourse, they opted for the melodrama of a press conference held in lieu of actual participation, thereby achieving their goal of making noise rather than enacting change. The pushback against Vought seems less about qualifications and more about grandstanding, a classic move for a party that has perfected the art of distraction.
