Republican lawmakers are criticizing Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought for taking what they call an overly “aggressive” approach to the ongoing government shutdown, warning that his hardline tactics could backfire on the party.
“Russ is less politically in tune than the president,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) a member of the Senate’s DOGE (Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency) Caucus.
“We, as Republicans, have never had so much moral high ground on a government funding bill in our lives ... I just don’t see why we would squander it, which I think is the risk of being aggressive with executive power in this moment,” he told Semafor, according to a report published Wednesday.
The report noted that just one day into the shutdown, tensions are flaring within the GOP over how President Donald Trump's administration is handling the crisis.
Vought, seen as a loyal enforcer of Trump’s budget-slashing agenda, has already halted $18 billion in infrastructure projects in New York — the home state of Democratic congressional leaders — and frozen $8 billion in clean energy initiatives across 16 mostly Democratic-led states.
Critics, including Republican allies, worry Vought is pushing too far, too fast.
“That is totally unacceptable,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), referring to the delay of critical New York infrastructure projects, including the Hudson Tunnel.
“I’ve actually seen the damage that was done by the hurricane, and it is serious,” she told the outlet.
The report cited sources familiar with a private House GOP call, who said Vought told lawmakers that federal employee layoffs could begin within days. That statement drew concern from Republicans representing districts with large numbers of government workers.
Democrats argue that Vought is using the shutdown as cover to impose sweeping cuts that would have happened anyway.
According to the report, Collins acknowledged that the lapse in funding gave Vought increased authority to declare employees "non-essential" and begin layoffs: “No doubt about that.”
The controversy mirrors the earlier backlash over tech billionaire Elon Musk’s now-dormant Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration initiative aimed at shrinking the federal bureaucracy.
While popular with some conservative voters, polls showed most Americans disapproved of Musk’s handling of the program, leaving Republicans to defend politically damaging cuts.
Now, with Vought picking up where Musk left off, frustration is again boiling over.
“The administration and the agencies have no boundaries; that they are, in an illegitimate way, taking money that has been appropriated,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), per the report.
“The fingerprints are everywhere — and they will continue whether Elon Musk is here or not," she added.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), told Semafor she expects New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) to pursue legal action over the halted projects, while unions have already filed lawsuits against OMB over the layoff threats.
With Vought’s aggressive strategy in full swing, lawmakers on both sides are growing increasingly pessimistic about the chances of reaching a bipartisan deal to reopen the government.
“We don’t have true negotiating partners; they just want to make this difficult. They’ve been cheering this on for months,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), per the report.