Senate Democrats still concerned about erosion of congressional power

Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico took to the Senate floor Thursday alongside their Democratic colleagues to delay the confirmation vote of Russell Vought, a Project 2025 co-author who led the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first presidency. Vought was confirmed with a 53-47 vote Thursday night.

“Mr. Vought will have the chance to address two key economic issues — cutting burdensome government regulations, and addressing excessive spending,” Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Last week, Trump’s budget office issued a memo directing agencies to freeze already approved federal funding so it could be evaluated to see if it aligned ideologically with Trump’s goals. Congress traditionally and constitutionally gets to dictate federal spending.

A range of agencies and nonprofits were then unable to access federal funds. The memo was rescinded, but the executive order it was meant to explain has not been and some entities in New Mexico still cannot access federal funds, including for several drinking water pipeline projects, according to Luján.

“If the intention was to create chaos, they’re creating chaos by creating all of these questions and uncertainty,” Luján said.

Heinrich said on the Senate floor that New Mexicans have reached out with concerns about losing civil service jobs, fears that the Department of Education could be dismantled and worries about instability in the federal government, asking him to oppose Vought’s confirmation.

Meanwhile, environmental advocacy groups raised concerns this week about vaguely worded executive orders new Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed, including one encouraging energy exploration and production on federal land and waters that have been withdrawn from oil production or mining. The order authorizes a 15-day review of lands withdrawn from fossil fuel and mining development.

Environmental advocacy groups say the order targets national monument boundaries.

“Secretary Burgum’s executive order threatening national monuments with mining and drilling represents a reckless assault on New Mexico’s protected public lands,” Mark Allison, executive director of New Mexico Wild, said in a statement. “The rushed 15-day review process completely disregards the careful stewardship these sacred spaces deserve.”