At OMB, some head for exit ahead of Trump, Vought

Several staffers with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are heading for the exits before President-elect Trump takes office, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill, amid concerns that the incoming administration plans to prioritize loyalty and upend government agencies.

Sources told The Hill that multiple staffers, including some who have worked at OMB for years, were departing before the arrival of Russell Vought, Trump’s pick to lead the agency who in a 2024 speech at his think tank spoke about wanting bureaucrats “to be traumatically affected” by changes to the government. 

One source familiar with the matter said they knew of some planned exits, but that they did not amount to a mass departure from the agency. Many longtime nonpolitical staffers worked in the first Trump administration and are prepared to work through another one, the source said.

A spokesperson for OMB declined to comment.

Trump allies have spoken about reducing the size of the federal workforce, and they have not shied away from rooting out employees they deem insufficiently loyal.

“It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump's vision for putting our nation and America's working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals,” Trump transition spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement.

There’s always staffing churn from one administration to the next, especially when there’s a change in party. But with Trump returning for a second term, there’s a particular worry among some longtime government staffers about the president-elect’s fixation on loyalty, his desire to push the bounds of presidential authority and how his team might seek to slash the workforce.

The Associated Press reported that some career officials at the National Security Council (NSC) have started packing after the incoming administration quizzed staffers about whom they voted for in 2024 and whether they’d expressed anti-Trump sentiments.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), Trump’s incoming national security adviser, told Breitbart News last week that Biden administration detailees working with the NSC across the government would be expected to resign “at 12:01 on January 20.”

But turnover at OMB could be particularly impactful because Trump and Vought have signaled they intend to use the levers of power there to expand the president’s authority and get rid of critics.

In announcing Vought as his choice to run the agency, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government.” Trump has spoken about using Schedule F classifications to make it easier to hire and fire federal employees.

In an interview late last year with Tucker Carlson, Vought called OMB the most “important tool to dealing with the bureaucracy, administrative state.”

Trump has also talked about challenging the Impoundment Control Act by using presidential authority to hold back certain funding appropriated by Congress. 

And then there’s Elon Musk and the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), an advisory commission expected to work closely with OMB to cut government spending and regulation.

Another of DOGE’s priorities, according to Vought, is “being as radical or aggressive as you can in eliminating or reducing employees.”

“I think that’s where they’re headed, and I think it’ll be an enormous boon to the country,” Vought told Carlson.

Warning shot to Hegseth critics

Top Trump allies had a message to Republicans following what MAGA allies viewed as a strong showing by Pete Hegseth at a Tuesday confirmation hearing to serve as secretary of Defense.

“If anyone in the Senate GOP votes against confirming Pete Hegseth after his stellar performance today, there will be a primary challenge waiting for you. You can take that to the bank,” Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk posted on the social platform X.

Musk, who has previously threatened to fund primary candidates, replied to Kirk approvingly.

No Republicans have signaled yet that they will oppose Hegseth. And while Kirk and Musk may not scare someone like Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), their threats are potentially more salient for someone like Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who was the subject of immense backlash in MAGA world after she expressed concerns about Hegseth’s nomination in December. 

Bannon battles Musk

The war between one of Trump’s original backers and one of his most recent converts is raging on, as former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has vowed to make Musk persona non grata in the new administration.

“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon told Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera this week. “He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person.”

“He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down,” Bannon added.

Bannon’s comments are the latest in a simmering feud between some in MAGA world and Musk. The fight burst into the open over the holidays with a debate over H-1B visas.

Musk has been omnipresent during the transition, and he has flaunted his influence on Capitol Hill as head of DOGE. He has not publicly responded to Bannon's attacks.

The Bannon-Musk spat underscores how some in Trump’s orbit question Musk’s staying power, viewing him as an interloper who only endorsed the president-elect after he was grazed by a bullet last July. 

Trump famously does not like to share the spotlight and may tire of Musk, especially if the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder undercuts him at any point.

So far, though, Musk doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The New York Times reported Musk is expected to have office space at the White House in the new administration.