United States Sen. John Neely Kennedy recently made waves during a budget committee hearing, comparing Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to the biblical figure Noah.
Vought previously served as OMB director during Trump’s first term.
Kennedy, a Republican, represents the state of Louisiana. According to his website, Kennedy and his wife are founding members of their local Methodist church.
During the hearing, Kennedy sang Vought’s praises and encouraged him to “persevere” as OMB director.
“In my judgment, I do not know a single person in Washington or outside Washington who knows more about the federal budget than you do,” Kennedy told Vought. “I used to read your suggestions during President Trump’s first term, many of which Congress ignored. We shouldn’t have. I am delighted the president picked you.”
Kennedy went on to express his hope that Vought would start with “the low-hanging fruit.” As an example, he cited the fact that during the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly $1.6 billion in government relief payments went to people who were deceased.
Nearly $500 million was never recovered, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Kennedy lamented that a bill he sponsored to address the problem received pushback and that he had to agree to a trial period for the necessary reforms. He asked Vought if Vought would help make those reforms permanent, to which Vought responded in the affirmative.
“You’ve served in Washington for years,” Kennedy said to Vought. “You’re going to be challenging the status quo. You’re going to be called crazy.”
“Many people also called Noah crazy,” Kennedy added. “And then the rains came. And all the fact-checkers died.”
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