The US Senate on Thursday confirmed Russell Vought as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the entity at the center of a contentious effort to freeze federal funding for aid programs.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted along party lines Thursday to confirm Russell Vought as the next head of the Office of Management and Budget despite fierce pushback from Democrats. Although Democrats have been divided over various Trump nominees, they unified in opposition to Vought.

The Trump’s administration’s Office of Management and Budget released a new memo Wednesday rescinding a controversial memo issued late Monday that froze a wide swath of federal financial assistance, which had paralyzed many federal programs and caused a huge uproar on Capitol Hill.