OMB Director Mick Mulvaney said that if he were still in Congress, he would vote against the Trump budget.
Video:
According to NBC News:
“If you were in Congress, would you have voted for this budget that you’re presenting?” asked Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
“As a member of Congress representing the 5th District of South Carolina, I probably would have found enough shortcomings in this to vote against it,” said Mulvaney, who also serves as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “But I’m the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and my job is to fund the president’s priorities, which is exactly what we did.”
The Trump budget is going nowhere fast, but this is about more than a vote. When Trump’s own OMB Director says he wouldn’t support the budget if was in Congress, it raises serious questions about the priorities of this administration. As a general rule, presidential budgets are useless. The power of the purse rests with Congress. The House and Senate will decide how much gets spent where.
Presidential budgets are useful as a mirror into how a White House views the country, and what they prioritize. Trump prioritizes the military and big business. Nothing else matters to him.
In front of a Senate hearing, Mick Mulvaney took Trump’s budget and set it on fire.
Even by the minimal standards of treatment of presidential budgets, this was a new low.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
