The Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday voted to advance Russell T. Vought’s nomination to be deputy White House budget chief, despite criticism over past controversial religious comments.
The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee must also approve Vought’s nomination before a final confirmation vote by the full Senate.
“The White House Budget Office plays a critical role in managing government-wide functions, such as agency rulemaking, contracting, grants management, financial management, information technology, program assessment, personnel policy, and property management,” Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said.
{mosads}“Having a deputy director in place will ensure that the Administration and the federal government is serving the American people to its utmost capability.”
Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union objected to Vought’s nomination to be deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget over inflammatory comments he made about Muslims in a 2016 blog post hosted on a Wheaton College webpage.
“Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned,” Vought wrote.
The White House has said that that stance were a purely theocratic exercise at his Christian alma mater, and said there was “no doubt” he would afford equal dignity and respect to all people.
Committee approval of Vought comes as the administration makes the case for Trump’s budget proposal on Capitol Hill.