Russ Vought: Appropriations process 'has to be less bipartisan'

[In It to Win It]

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought isn’t interested in giving assurances to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the White House will abide by any bipartisan spending agreements made this year.

“The appropriations process has to be less bipartisan,” Vought told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Thursday.

With Republicans in full control of government, he said now is the time for reining in spending, even without input from Democrats on Capitol Hill. He did not lay out a legislative path for partisan spending bills to clear the Senate, where 60 votes are required to pass legislation.

Vought said he’s looking to “change the paradigm” of the way appropriations has worked, pointing to the continued use of stopgap spending bills.

“It’s not going to keep me up at night, and I think will lead to better results, by having the appropriations process be a little bit partisan, and I don’t think it’s necessarily leading to a shutdown,” he added.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/17/congress/russ-vought-appropriations-process-has-to-be-less-bipartisan-00459479