Key takeaways:

• Russell Vought rose from a mail clerk to the powerful OMB director.
• He funnels every dollar of federal funding through the Office of Management and Budget.
• He froze Ukraine aid in 2019, sparking the first Trump impeachment.
• He popularized the phrase “woke and weaponized” to rally conservatives.
• He laid early plans for Project 2025 to shrink or merge agencies.
• He guided Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts.
• He froze $26 billion in blue-state projects during the shutdown.

How Russell Vought Built His Power Inside OMB

On the second day of the government shutdown, President Trump shared a viral AI video of Russell Vought as Washington’s Grim Reaper. That image only hints at Vought’s true power. As director of the Office of Management and Budget, he controls every penny that funds federal programs. He also vets major rules, drafts executive orders and issues policies for two million government workers. In many ways, he acts like a shadow president. Yet he works mostly out of public view. Below is how Russell Vought climbed the ranks and reshaped the U.S. government.

From Mail Room to Chief Budget Adviser

Russell Vought grew up in Connecticut with parents who valued hard work and faith. His first D.C. job was in a senator’s mail room. There, he saw conservative leaders promise small government but still back big spending. He questioned why some Republicans broke their own budget rules. Later, he advised Mike Pence and learned how power in D.C. really works. In 2010, he left Capitol Hill to start a group that pushed Republicans to stick to conservative ideas. He often told colleagues that his own party, not Democrats, blocked true budget cuts.

Massive Power at the Office of Management and Budget

The OMB might not sound exciting, but it shapes every federal program. Congress approves spending, but the OMB must sign off before agencies get cash. The office also reviews all big regulations, checks executive orders and sets workplace rules. Sam Bagenstos, a former OMB official, says, “Every goddamn thing in the executive branch goes through OMB.” That means Russell Vought decides how fast agencies can work and what projects move ahead. In this way, he quietly tightens control over much of Washington.

Role in the First Trump Impeachment

Russell Vought first led the OMB during Trump’s first term. In 2019, the White House asked him to hold up $214 million in aid to Ukraine. That money had passed Congress, but Vought froze it. The Government Accountability Office later called this move illegal. It sparked investigations and led to Trump’s first impeachment. Vought refused to testify, calling the process a “sham.” After leaving office, he argued that past presidents had similar powers. Many legal experts disagreed, but Vought kept promoting his view.

Coining “Woke and Weaponized”

In 2021, Russell Vought started a think tank to keep the MAGA movement alive. Trump wanted a way to fight back at Black Lives Matter. Vought answered with “woke and weaponized” to describe agencies that didn’t follow the MAGA plan. He told friends that if you heard those words, it came from his strategy. His 2022 budget plan used “woke” 77 times. The phrase spread fast among Republicans. It became a shorthand attack on policies they disliked.

Early Plans for Project 2025

Vought’s vision for deep cuts began in Trump’s first term. He led work on an executive order to overhaul government. He proposed ending USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He even wanted to merge Education, Housing and food aid into a single “Welfare” department. Few of his plans took shape then because other officials pushed back. Still, Vought says he now sees those ideas in action. He never guessed those early drafts would become Project 2025’s blueprint.

Project 2025 Comes to Life

Project 2025 is a coalition of conservative groups that drew up a full plan for a second Trump White House. Russell Vought led the effort on transitions, writing hundreds of orders and policies. He said he did not want Trump to waste time in legal fights over basic actions. During the 2024 campaign, Trump publicly distanced himself from the project. Yet once elected, he brought Vought back to OMB and moved fast to enact many of its goals. Trump even joked about working with “Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 fame.”

Elon Musk and Government Cuts

Tesla CEO Elon Musk grabbed headlines by slashing budgets as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. But insiders say Musk followed directions from Russell Vought. A former OMB branch chief said Vought pointed out the targets. Records show a group founded by Vought credited him for steering Musk’s cuts. Musk’s actions signaled that the administration could ignore legal challenges and act boldly. As one official put it, “Elon terrified the status quo,” and Vought seized the chance.

Pressuring Through the Shutdown

When the government shut down on October 1, Russell Vought warned of mass firings if Congress did not make a deal. He then froze $26 billion in infrastructure and clean energy funding in blue states. That move put extra pressure on Democrats. Agency staff felt like they reported to Vought, not the president. By centralizing decisions, he turned OMB into a gatekeeper and a weapon in budget fights.

Looking Ahead

Russell Vought’s influence shows how much power a budget adviser can hold. From the mail room to the heart of the federal government, he has pushed deep spending cuts, shaped key policies and reimagined agency roles. His work on Project 2025 and alliances with figures like Elon Musk suggest he plans to tighten his grip. As long as he leads OMB, every dollar Congress allocates will pass through his hands first. And that may matter more than any law passed on Capitol Hill.

FAQs

What makes Russell Vought so powerful in Washington?

He leads the Office of Management and Budget, which reviews all spending, regulations and major orders in the executive branch.

What is Project 2025 and how did Russell Vought shape it?

Project 2025 is a conservative roadmap for a second Trump administration. Vought led the planning of hundreds of executive orders and policies.

Why did Russell Vought freeze aid to Ukraine in 2019?

He followed the White House order to halt security assistance, a move later ruled illegal and tied to Trump’s first impeachment.

How did the phrase “woke and weaponized” become popular?

Russell Vought coined it at his think tank to criticize agencies and policies that did not fit the MAGA agenda.