The Office of Management and Budget can function as a de facto command center for the executive branch by gating regulations, vetting orders, and deciding when and how appropriated funds flow. Concentrating these levers in a single director turns budget execution into a policy weapon that can override or outlast ordinary politics. The profile of Russell Vought shows how one unelected official can translate a president’s grievances into government action.
— This reframes separation of powers by showing that control over budget execution—not just statutes—can centralize governing power in ways Congress, courts, and the public rarely see.
2026.01.04
82% relevant
Yglesias’s essay raises the same governance worry as the 'OMB as Shadow Presidency' idea: power and decision‑making in the executive are concentrated behind a narrow set of aides and offices, and opaque internal practices (the 'Politburo' or 'inner circle') can reshape policy without public detail or accountability. The article’s call for tick‑tock reporting directly connects to concerns about budget/executive gatekeeping and hidden administrative power.
by Andy Kroll
2025.10.17
100% relevant
Vought’s direction of fund redirects (DoD to the border wall), Ukraine aid freezes, and shutdown management from OMB’s central table on Feb. 12.
by Lisa Riordan Seville, Andy Kroll, Katie Campbell and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons
2025.10.17
90% relevant
The piece portrays Russell Vought as the central operator channeling White House will into action—piloting shutdown strategy, layoffs, and agency closures—precisely the dynamic of OMB gatekeeping regulations, money, and process to concentrate executive control.