John Thune Is Using Russell Vought to Bait the Democrats into Ending the Shutdown

"This is the risk of shutting down the government and handing the keys to Russ Vought, the Senate majority leader said in an exclusive interview Wednesday in the Capitol, adding that there should have been an expectation among Democrats that Vought's Office of Management and Budget could broadly target government workers and programs in a shutdown. Thune spoke on the same day that several Republicans aired discomfort with Vought's moves after the shutdown went into effect."

"Dude, it was your majority that gave Vought the job. Spare us the fake concern of you and your fellow senators. Speaker Moses and the Republicans in the House are loving this, and I suspect even you know that Vought is the iron fist in your fake-velvet glove. You also know that, if the president and Vought want to do something, no deal you could cut with the Senate Democrats would be worth a slab of Oval Office gilt."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized OMB Director Russell Vought's handling of the government shutdown, warning that handing control to Vought risks broadly targeting government workers and programs. Several House Republicans expressed discomfort after Vought paused major projects and raised the prospect of mass layoffs, with Members Mike Lawler, Blake Moore, and Brian Babin voicing concerns. Vought's decisions have the potential to distract Republicans by undermining a simple message that Democrats bear responsibility for reopening the government. Thune suggested the administration and Vought could leverage shutdown powers to extract concessions, increasing intra-party tensions and complicating negotiations.

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