Mick Mulvaney was confirmed on a near-party line vote to be the next director of the Office of Management and Budget. | Getty Senate confirms Mulvaney to head Office of Management and Budget

The Senate confirmed Rep. Mick Mulvaney to be the Office of Management and Budget director Thursday morning in a 51-49 vote.

As expected, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) split with his party in opposing the nomination, after voicing continued concerns about Mulvaney’s votes to slash defense spending.


Budget Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) noted earlier this week that no administration in the past four decades has been without an initial OMB director longer than the Trump administration has.

“According to Senate records from President Jimmy Carter to President Obama, the longest it has ever taken to approve a first budget director for a new president was one week — one week,” Enzi said on the Senate floor Wednesday, bemoaning attempts by Senate Democrats to draw out debate on confirming Cabinet picks.

That unprecedented wait has had a trickle-down effect at OMB. Agency spokesperson Coalter Baker told POLITICO this week that the Trump administration has been waiting for Mulvaney to become director before installing personnel in political appointee posts.

While Republicans say Mulvaney’s confirmation is a harbinger of a new era of fiscal responsibility, Democrats characterize the co-founder of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus as an ideologue preparing to take drastic and harmful measures to balance the budget.

