Russ Vought confirmed as Trump's budget director amid Dem protest

• The vote was 53-47, with all of the chamber's Republicans in favor and all of its Democrats against.

The big picture: Democrats dug in on their opposition to Vought after OMB issued a now-rescinded order last month freezing all federal aid and grants.

• They boycotted last week's vote on Vought's nomination, calling him "clearly unfit for office."
• And they kept the Senate in session overnight Wednesday for the first time since August of 2022 to delay the confirmation vote as long as possible.

The intrigue: And, as we reported earlier this week, Senate Democrats are privately eyeing delays on all Trump nominees as retaliation for his restructuring of USAID.

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios on Tuesday that he's personally willing to place holds on nominees under the Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction and that the caucus is proceeding as if there is a "blanket hold" on Trump nominations.

• Blumenthal and others are looking to go beyond the "blanket hold" that Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has placed on State Department nominees.

The bottom line: The GOP prioritized Vought's nomination as the party crafts a multi-trillion dollar budget reconciliation plan for later this year.

• And as Thursday's vote shows, when Republicans are aligned, Democrats only have the power to delay, not derail, their plans.

Go deeper: Senate Dems sound alarm on Trump's budget director