Senate Democrats vow rare overnight session to protest Trump’s ‘most dangerous nominee’

Senate Democrats are bracing to stay in the chamber overnight to make the case against the nomination of Russell Vought to serve as the White House’s next budget chief, who is expected to be confirmed later this week.

The Senate voted along party lines earlier on Wednesday to advance Vought’s nomination, clearing its procedural hurdle before the full GOP-led Senate is expected to vote to confirm the nominee. 

“We’re going to have more than 35 United States senators on the Democratic side, opposing Russ Vought’s nomination,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a senior appropriator, said in a video posted to X on Wednesday as he headed to the Senate floor to speak.

“We’re going to take the floor for 30 hours,” he said, referring to time allowed for debate under Senate rules, before going on to describe Vought as the “architect of the dismantling of our federal government.”

Democrats have been going all out against Vought’s nomination, which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Wednesday that “all 47 Democrats” – which includes the two independent senators who caucus with the party – will oppose. 

“And we will take the floor early this afternoon and spend the whole night discussing how bad this nomination is and how it badly affects working families,” he said. 

The protest comes as Democrats have ramped up attacks on Vought, with some describing him as Trump’s “most dangerous nominee” in light of Trump’s executive orders seeking to freeze funds already approved by Congress.

In hearings, Democrats have needled Vought on executive spending powers and his ties to Project 2025, the conservative blueprint produced by the Heritage Foundation that was often the target of Democratic attacks during the 2024 presidential election cycle.

While Vought has vowed the administration will uphold the law, he has reiterated his position in hearings that the Impoundment Control Act, which sets limits on the president’s powers to restrict funding approved by Congress, is unconstitutional.

Democrats also boycotted a vote to report his nomination out of committee last week. Republican senators voted unanimously at the time to advance the nomination, however.

Despite staunch opposition from Democrats, Vought is expected to be confirmed this week. Republicans have also been lining up behind the nominee, who previously served as OMB director under Trump during his first term in office. 

“We worked with Russ in the first administration, and I work with him a lot on a whole range of issues, and he was good to work with,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), a spending cardinal, told The Hill last week. “I have a good working relationship with him, and expect that to continue.”

“Any nominee who gets unanimous consent out of committee of Republicans I’m supporting, subject to any kind of change or additional information, like I had to do with Pete Hegseth,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also told The Hill shortly after Vought’s nomination was reported out of committee last week.