US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Russ Vought, a key architect of "Project 2025," the controversial conservative plan to overhaul the government, to be director of the US Office of Management and Budget, a powerful agency that helps decide the president's policy priorities and how to pay for them.
Vought, who was OMB chief during Trump's 2017-2021 term, would play a major role in setting budget priorities and implementing Trump's campaign promise to roll back government regulations.
Since Trump left office, Vought has been deeply involved in Project 2025, a series of detailed policy proposals for Trump's second term drawn up by hundreds of high-profile conservatives.
Among other measures, Project 2025 calls for a broad expansion in presidential power by boosting the number of political appointees and increasing the president's authority over the Justice Department. The project also proposes enforcing laws that make it illegal to mail abortion pills over state lines, criminalizing pornography and eliminating the Department of Education.