History of Russell Vought in Timeline

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.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

March 26, 1976: Russell Vought Born

On March 26, 1976, Russell Thurlow Vought was born.

Others born on this day/year

1998: Earned BA from Wheaton College

In 1998, Russell Vought earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

2004: Earned JD from the George Washington University Law School

In 2004, Russell Vought earned a Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School.

April 2017: Nominated to be Deputy Director of the OMB

In April 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Russell Vought to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

February 28, 2018: Confirmed as Deputy Director of the OMB

On February 28, 2018, Russell Vought was confirmed as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by the U.S. Senate in a 50-49 vote, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaking vote.

March 2018: Became Deputy Director of the OMB

In March 2018, Russell Vought took on the role of Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

January 2, 2019: Became Acting OMB Director

On January 2, 2019, Russell Vought became the acting OMB Director following Mick Mulvaney becoming White House chief of staff, although Mulvaney retained the director position.

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.

2019: Sean Spicer appointed to the Naval board

In 2019, Sean Spicer was appointed to the Naval board by President Trump, and likewise fired by Biden in September 2021.

January 22, 2020: Sworn in as OMB Director

On January 22, 2020, Russell Vought was sworn in as OMB Director.

March 18, 2020: Nominated as permanent OMB Director

On March 18, 2020, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Russell Vought to serve as permanent OMB Director.

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.

July 2020: Became Director of the OMB

In July 2020, Russell Vought became the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the first Trump administration.

July 20, 2020: Confirmed as OMB Director

On July 20, 2020, Russell Vought was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as OMB Director by a vote of 51-45.

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".

December 2020: Appointed to Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy

In December 2020, Donald Trump appointed Russell Vought to the Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy.

2020: Jeffrey Clark's Efforts to Challenge Election Results

In 2020, Jeffrey Clark, Russel Vought's organization's director of litigation, participated in efforts to challenge the results of the presidential election.

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.

January 2021: Founded the Center for Renewing America

In January 2021, Russell Vought founded the Center for Renewing America (CRA), focused on combating critical race theory.

January 2021: End of term as Director of the OMB

In January 2021, Russell Vought's term as Director of the OMB concluded with the end of the first Trump administration.

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.

June 8, 2021: Released Guide to Combatting Critical Race Theory

On June 8, 2021, Citizens for Renewing America, the advocacy arm of Center for Renewing America, released a guide to "combatting critical race theory."

September 2021: Fired from Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy

In September 2021, Joe Biden fired Russell Vought and ten other Trump political appointees from the boards of service academies and other oversight bodies.

June 22, 2022: Confirmed Search of Jeffrey Clark's Home

On June 22, 2022, Russell Vought confirmed that federal agents conducted a search of the home of his organization's director of litigation, Jeffrey Clark.

July 2022: Lawsuit Dismissal Regarding Removal from Naval Board

In July 2022, federal judge Dabney Friedrich dismissed the lawsuit filed by Russell Vought and Sean Spicer to prevent their removal from the Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy.

April 2023: Publication of Mandate for Project 2025

The 920-page Mandate for Project 2025 was published in April 2023, outlining proposals to reclassify federal civil service workers as political appointees.

August 4, 2023: Mary Grace Vought filed for divorce

On August 4, 2023, Mary Grace Vought filed for divorce from Russell Vought in Arlington County, Virginia.

May 2024: Appointed Policy Director of the Republican National Committee's Platform Committee

In May 2024, Russell Vought was appointed as the Policy Director of the Republican National Committee's platform committee.

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.

November 23, 2024: Nomination as Director of the OMB Announced

On November 23, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Russell Vought as Director of the OMB for his second term as president.

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.

January 15, 2025: Appeared Before Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

On January 15, 2025, Russell Vought appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

January 20, 2025: Committee Advanced Vought's Nomination

On January 20, 2025, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs advanced Russell Vought's nomination in an 8-7 vote.

January 22, 2025: Appeared Before Senate Budget Committee

On January 22, 2025, Russell Vought appeared before the Senate Budget Committee.

February 6, 2025: Confirmation as Director of the OMB

On February 6, 2025, Russell Vought's nomination as Director of the OMB was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 53-47.

February 7, 2025: Sworn in as OMB Director and Installed as Acting Director of CFPB

On February 7, 2025, Russell Vought was sworn in as OMB Director by United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He was also installed as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

February 2025: Appointed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget

In February 2025, Russell Vought assumed the role of the 44th Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

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.

2025: Role in Project 2025

In 2025, Russell Vought played a major role in the creation of Project 2025, a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from The Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power.