Russell Vought, the nominee handpicked by ex-President Trump for the position of director for the Office of Management and Budget, bluntly pronounced America to be teetering on the brink of a Marxist takeover just three years ago. He feared that those forces ideologically opposed to his worldview were already armed with the machinery of the government, targeting those they consider adversaries. Asserting that the US political landscape was deteriorating into a life-or-death battle between the pious right and a destructive, irreligious left, Vought spared no worry over the destiny of the nation. His critique of the Biden administration, as detailed in a 2022 piece in The American Mind titled ‘Renewing American Purpose’, is testament to his views.
In Vought’s narrative, the current administration appears to be actively pitted against its own citizens. The resurgence of ‘woke’ culture, accompanied by an offensive strategy employed by the national security state, has alarmed common Americans who were never participants in this revolution. Entities like the F.B.I., N.S.A., and C.I.A., Vought argues, are not operating for, but against, the American people. He reprimands the F.B.I. for treating concerned parents voicing their opinions in open school board meetings as domestic terrorists and accuses the N.S.A. of eavesdropping on private conversations of regular citizens.
In the past, such radical assertations by Vought might have been an easy dismissal, garnering him a reputation as an extremist far removed from the core of political matters. However, the current political climate finds him as a celebrated loyalist of Trump, readying for his second term in association with the ex-president, potentially in one of the most influential roles within the federal government. Notably, Vought sparked debate by questioning the negative perception around ‘Christian Nationalism’ in a 2021 Newsweek piece.
Vought envisions America’s future as an apocalyptic battlefront with Democrats as the growing ‘evil’. Interestingly, he perceives the federal work force as the primary antagonist that needs to be tamed. Last year, the 48-year-old asserted that he wished to mentally distress these workers into being unwilling to show up for work every morning, as they would, per his plan, be increasingly viewed as the villains.
Vought is expecting a senate confirmation this week for his appointment as the O.M.B. director. This role will provide him the power to dismantle any traces of Democratic governance over the US government facility.
In Vought’s role, he is looking to cleanse the US government of Democratic control. He wrote in December 2022 about his conviction that Democratic reign had led to the sprouting of political prisoners and an unnecessarily heavy-handed F.B.I. The terms of ‘domestic terrorism’ and ‘disinformation’ had been loosely thrown at those merely executing their free speech rights. Vought expressed concern over the National Security Agency running rampant with surveillance, shrouded behind a veil of ‘national security’. According to him, the real threat to the nation was that its government, fortified by Democratic control, was increasingly turning its might against its own people.
Vought interprets the protest triggered by George Floyd’s killing as a ploy to destabilize the Trump administration, categorically rejecting the notion that it was about racial issues. According to him, it was a clear indicator of the left’s inherent desire to rip apart societal structures, pulling the very foundation of society down for their revolutionary agenda.
Vought suggests a strategy to combat the deep state, proposing an assault on job protections for the 50,000 federal workers tasked with managing minute details and policy enforcement. With this move, initially labeled as Schedule F and now known as Schedule Policy/Career, the president would enjoy the freedom to oust any civil servicer non-compliant with his directives.