Russell Vought, Project 2025 mastermind and Trump’s nominee for the Office of Management and Budget, had quite a testy confirmation hearing.

Speaker Mike Johnson said he doesn't "question" Trump's decision to pardon more than thousand people convicted in connection to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, including some violent offenders. "The president's made his decision, I don't second guess those," Johnson said at a news conference alongside House Republican leadership.

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Donald Trump's choice to oversee the federal budget, Russell Vought, defended the U.S. president-elect's goal of cutting spending by refusing to spend money that Congress has already authorized at a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

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President Donald Trump’s pick for budget director faced another series of questions over presidential power to withhold government funding.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally, says the White House pardoning rioters who fought with police while storming the U.S. is “sending the wrong signal.”

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's choice to oversee the federal budget, Russell Vought, defended the U.S. president-elect's goal of cutting spending by refusing to spend money that ...

This is the practice of presidents refusing to spend funds that Congress has appropriated, shifting power to the White House. To take a current example, Mr Trump has issued an executive order putting an “immediate pause” on billions of dollars appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2021 and a climate law from 2022.

Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Russell Vought arrives to testify during a hearing of the House Budget Committee about President Trump's budget for Fiscal Year 2021, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Graham Asks Trump’s OMG Director Nominee Vought: ‘Is It Your Goal To Reduce Federal Spending?’ During Wednesday’s Senate Budget Committee hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) questioned President Donald Trump’s OMB Director Nominee Russell Vought about strategies to cut federal spending.