Who Is Russell Vought? How a Little-Known D.C. Insider Became Trump’s Dismantler-in-Chief

by Lisa Riordan Seville, Andy Kroll, Katie Campbell and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons October 17, 2025, 5:55 am Reporter Andy Kroll explains Vought’s rise from a congressional staffer to the man piloting everything from Trump's layoffs and agency closings to his shutdown strategy, controlling the fate of trillions of dollars and millions of federal workers. https://www.propublica.org/article/video-who-is-russell-vought-trump-omb-shutdown?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=secondary