GIFFORDS urges senators to vote no on Russell Vought
Chaos of funding freeze shows Vought would be a disaster as OMB director
WASHINGTON — Today, GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, urged senators to reject Russell Vought’s nomination for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
“Gun violence is an epidemic that won’t be solved by one single gun law. That’s why, Republicans and Democrats both understand that building safe communities requires a coordinated approach. Affordable health care, good schools and economic opportunity play a pivotal role in stopping gun violence,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown.
“We can’t trust Russell Vought to serve as OMB director because he will attack the best of government—this week’s chaos is a perfect example. Donald Trump handpicked Vought for this role specifically because he will protect the powerful and sabotage every program meant to help everyday Americans. That’s not what the American people want in the White House—senators should vote against his confirmation,” Brown added.
GIFFORDS’ full vote recommendation:
SUBJECT: GIFFORDS Vote Recommendation for the Nomination of Russell T. Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Jan 30, 2025
Dear Chairman Lindsay Graham and Ranking Member Jeff Merkley,
Today the Committee on the Budget is expected to vote on the nomination of Russell T. Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget. GIFFORDS urges all senators to vote “NO” on forwarding Mr. Vought’s nomination out of committee.
Nearly 46,000 Americans die from gun violence each year. This equates to more than 125 deaths attributable to firearms every day. Horrifically, gun violence has been the leading cause of death for children in the United States since 2020. The majority of gun deaths in the United States—roughly 60%—are self-inflicted. That is because gun access triples suicide risk. In fact, the majority of suicides, 54%, involve a gun. The second most common form of gun violence is homicide, and we know that domestic violence victims are five times more likely to be killed if their abuser has access to a firearm. Congress’s favored means of addressing gun violence in our communities is through grant programs administered by various federal agencies.
Congressionally mandated gun violence prevention programs are under threat of elimination by the Trump Administration. As you undoubtedly know, on Monday, January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued memorandum M-25-13, freezing nearly all federal financial assistance programs to review the programs for their consistency with President Trump’s priorities. This government funding freeze threw public service providers and the people they help into a state of grave uncertainty. States, local governments, and their civil society partners do not know if they will have access to funding that Congress has allocated for them. Impacted programs include:
- Byrne-JAG Grants
- Byrne-SCIP Grants
- School Safety Funds
- COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
- Rural Law Enforcement grants
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs suicide prevention grants
- And many more Congressionally appropriated funds that impact women, veterans, law enforcement and communities across the nation
The man responsible for the assault on Congress’s appropriations power and the public safety programs our communities rely on is Russell Vought. Mr. Vought has stated publicly that he believes OMB, “has the ability to turn off the spending that is going on at the agencies.” At his confirmation hearing before the committee five days before OMB issued the directive freezing federal funding Mr. Vought was asked directly about impoundment – the instance, like the current situation, where a President refuses to spend money Congress has appropriated. Mr. Vought asserted that President Trump believes the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional and he agrees with that position. Disturbingly, earlier this week the White House directed organizations affected by the funding freeze to petition Mr. Vought directly with their concerns. The implications are troubling on two accounts: (1) Mr. Vought has a hand in developing and administering the funding freeze policy; and (2) the White House is attempting to circumvent the funding powers of Congress by outlining that organizations must now petition him and not work with their elected officials for funding the programs they administer.
This is not how we keep communities safe and certainly not how we decide on gun violence prevention policy in this country. For the past decade, GIFFORDS has worked with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to find the best means of addressing gun violence in communities across the country. Congress has repeatedly appropriated funds for programs to effectuate these policies. An unelected OMB Director does not get to make public safety policy decisions. The American public entrusts that responsibility to their elected representatives in Congress.
For these reasons, GIFFORDS recommends senators vote “NO” on Mr. Vought’s nomination
Emma Brown
Executive Director, GIFFORDS
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