Commentary: Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced that he will vote against confirming Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Udall issued the following statement:
“The Office of Management and Budget has far-reaching authority over the federal budget and policies that affect the lives and paychecks of hard-working people across the country. It should not be led by Congressman Mulvaney, who has been the ringleader of some of Washington’s worst and most damaging political stunts. Congressman Mulvaney’s record shows a shocking willingness to jeopardize the full faith and credit of the United States and endanger the essential federal facilities and programs that so many New Mexicans depend upon, from Medicare and Medicaid to our public lands, military installations, and national labs. He has demonstrated that he wants to eliminate Social Security for people under 70, slash federal consumer protections and cut support for small businesses, labor rights, financial oversight, community health, and environmental protection.
“Congressman Mulvaney is a founding member of the group of extreme House Republicans that shut down the government in 2013, forcing essential government services to shutter and causing unnecessary harm to our economy. As I said then, insisting on blind cuts or a reckless government shutdown to prove a point isn’t real leadership. I am deeply concerned that, as Director of OMB, Congressman Mulvaney would continue to push his dangerous ideology at the expense of New Mexico’s jobs, economy, and working families. I strongly oppose his nomination.”