Trump supporter advises Republican leaders to postpone funding dispute, showing optimism for November: Report

Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget while former President Donald Trump was in office, has reportedly urged Senate Republicans to delay this year’s funding battle to 2025 in an effort to wait until a second Trump administration, according to Axios.

The move might indicate an early effort to clear the way for Trump to fire off policy actions if he beats President Joe Biden in November.

Senate Minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Whip Sen. John Thune (R-SD), GOP Steering Committee chairman Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), and other Republican senators attended the lunch.

Some senators pitched policy priorities that could come to fruition if Trump wins the presidency.

The gist of the meeting is that a temporary funding bill could remove distractions among Republicans as the general election approaches. The proposed resolution would last through February or March. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

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Vought said Democrats could “use the appropriations process in the late summer and early fall to hamstring a future Trump administration — blocking him from using funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, for example.”

Vought worked in the Trump White House as deputy director of OMB starting with his appointment in 2018 before becoming director and finishing his tenure as Trump left office. He stirred controversy when Biden’s transition team accused him of hindering the presidential transition by refusing to allow incoming Biden officials to meet with OMB staff.