WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted along party lines on Monday to confirm Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget, eight months after Vought defied a congressional subpoena and refused to testify in President Donald Trump's impeachment. The vote was 51-45 to confirm Vought, as all of Trump's fellow Republicans backed the nomination and every Democrat voted no. Vought, 44, has held the post of OMB director on an acting basis since January 2019, when his predecessor, Mick Mulvaney, became acting White House chief of staff. Democratic lawmakers leading the impeachment effort last year had wanted Vought to testify to obtain information about why OMB froze military aid for Ukraine that had been approved by Congress. Vought dismissed the investigation as a sham.

Source: International New York Times July 20, 2020 22:30 UTC