OMB as Shadow Presidency

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.