Nominee affirms he would follow law if asked to withhold congressionally appropriated funds
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Summary
Asked whether he would follow the law if an OMB director tried to direct DOE not to fund a program that Congress had appropriated, nominee Mister Wright said his mission is to follow U.S. laws and statutes.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, a senator asked Mister Wright whether he would follow the law if the Office of Management and Budget director directed DOE not to fund a program that Congress had expressly appropriated.
Wright replied, “My mission, the only way I roll would be to follow the laws and statutes of the United States Of America.”
The question referenced public statements by an OMB nominee about potentially using executive impoundment of funds to achieve spending reductions. The hearing record does not include any separate agreement or a written commitment beyond Wright’s oral statement that he would follow applicable laws and statutes.