Major Controversies Surrounding Russell Vought: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Russell Vought.

Russell Vought is an American government official and conservative political analyst. He has served as the 44th Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) since February 2025. He also held the position of Director of the OMB from July 2020 to January 2021 during the first Trump administration. Before that, he was the Deputy Director of the OMB from March 2018 to July 2020.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

2019: Defied Subpoena in Trump-Ukraine Scandal

In 2019, Russell Vought was one of nine government officials who defied a subpoena to testify before Congress regarding the Trump-Ukraine scandal and the administration's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine.

May 2020: Broke OMB Practice of Publishing Updated Economic Forecasts

In May 2020, Russell Vought broke the OMB's long-standing practice of publishing updated economic forecasts, citing disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

September 4, 2020: Published OMB Memo on Critical Race Theory

On September 4, 2020, Russell Vought, at President Trump's direction, published an OMB memo instructing federal agencies to stop all training on "critical race theory" or "white privilege", along with "any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil".

2020: Accusations of Hindering Presidential Transition

In 2020, after Joe Biden won the presidential election, Russell Vought was accused by Biden's transition team of hindering the presidential transition by refusing to allow incoming Biden officials to meet with OMB staff.

April 2021: Rated for Inaccurate Statement on Biden Infrastructure Plan

In April 2021, The Washington Post fact-checker rated Russell Vought's statement about the Biden administration's infrastructure plan as inaccurate to the degree of "Three Pinocchios" out of four.

July 2024: Secretly Recorded Conversation with Journalists

In July 2024, Russell Vought had a conversation with two journalists who falsely claimed to be relatives of a potential donor, where he described his secretive efforts to prepare executive orders for a potential second Trump administration. The conversation was videotaped without Vought's knowledge.

August 2024: CNN Report on Secretly Recorded Conversation

In August 2024, CNN reported on a lengthy conversation between Russell Vought and two journalists who falsely claimed to be relatives of a potential donor.

October 2024: Reported Proposals to Reshape Government

In October 2024, ProPublica reported on speeches Russell Vought had made at Center for Renewing America events, detailing proposals to reshape government.

2024: Comments on Christian Immigrants

In 2024, during a secretly recorded meeting, Russell Vought said that conservatives should discuss whether to prioritize Christian immigrants over those of other religions.

May 2025: CFPB Rescinded Rule Limiting Data Broker Abilities

In May 2025, the CFPB rescinded a rule that limited the ability of data brokers to sell sensitive information, such as financial data, credit history, and Social Security numbers.

June 25, 2025: False Claim About PEPFAR Funding

On June 25, 2025, Russell Vought told a Senate committee that the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) had spent $9.3 million "to advise Russian doctors on how to perform abortions and gender analysis," a claim which was fact-checked to be false and subsequently removed from the rescissions package by Senate Republicans.