White House budget director Russell Vought reportedly fumed at spending cuts directed by former DOGE czar Elon Musk.
The New York Times reported Monday that Vought, a key architect of the Project 2025 playbook for Donald Trump’s second term, felt undercut by Musk’s brief efforts to make sweeping reforms, as Vought embarked on his plan to force a legal battle over Congress’s power of purse. Musk’s supposed cost-cutting initiatives were affecting programs Vought wanted to keep in place.
“We’re going to let DOGE break things, and we’ll pick up the pieces later,” Vought told his staff, three people told the Times.
Vought was reportedly outraged when Musk sent an email to federal employees prompting them to explain five accomplishments they’d made that week. Musk’s so-called “pulse-check” pissed off agency heads and irritated Vought, who believed the move had sidestepped personnel procedures and needlessly exposed the government to liability.
Vought was also furious that Musk had moved to eliminate the Department of Education’s data office, two people told the Times. Vought wanted to use information collected by the agency to undermine programs that benefit Black and brown students, as well as students with disabilities or poor backgrounds. Vought has previously called to abolish the agency entirely.
Vought’s spokesperson Rachel Cauley denied that he made these comments, but acknowledged that he felt annoyed by the billionaire bureaucrat.
Vought isn’t the only one in the White House who was irritated at Musk: The Tesla chief and the evidently ill-tempered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly almost came to blows while arguing about the Internal Revenue Service.
Now that Musk has vacated the White House, Vought has been free to move ahead with his plan to set new legal precedent for Trump to block spending from policies and programs that he personally disagrees with, and dismantle the administrative state how he sees fit.
As the government funding deadline fast approaches, Vought has taken to openly trying to intimidate Congress. The White House Office of Management and Budget wrote Congress last week urging them to pass a short-term measure to keep the government open through November. If they fail to agree on a deal, Vought’s office has warned federal agencies to prepare for another round of mass firings, with a focus on eliminating positions where funding has been discontinued or that do not align with Trump’s agenda.
Meanwhile, Democrats are working to ensure tax credits from the Affordable Care Act that are set to expire at the end of this year. An estimated 5.1 million Americans will lose their insurance by 2034 if funding expires, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
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