Democratic senators in the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday boycotted their scheduled vote to confirm Russ Vought as head of the Office of Management and Budget.

Though the committee only requires 11 members to be present for votes, the boycott sends a strong message. Republicans on the committee voted 11-0 to forward Vought’s nomination to the full Senate.

The agency this week sparked confusion after it attempted to freeze federal funding across the government.

Vought served as acting director of OMB during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s first term and supported OMB’s freeze.

Democratic senators held a news conference instead of sharing their concerns over OMB’s move during the committee vote.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described Vought as a “loser for America and a loser for Donald Trump.”

“If confirmed, he’s just going to become baggage,” Schumer said.

Also condemning Vought was Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

“Mr. Russel Vought is dangerously unfit to serve as director of OMB,” he said. “He is a threat to our democracy. He is the brains behind the dead-of-night directive that destroyed all these programs for families across America.”

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced it rescinded the funding freeze memo after U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan temporarily blocked it.

White House press secretary Karolina Leavitt said the move does not mean the freeze has been rescinded.

“This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze,” she wrote via X. “It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.”

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