Gary Peters Torches Key Trump OMB Nominee Due To Concerns He Will Defy 'Our Constitution'

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During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) spoke about the nomination of Eric Ueland to be Deputy Director of Management at the Office of Management and Budget.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to Eric Ulan's nomination to be the Deputy

00:05Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget.

00:10Congress charged the Deputy Director for Management with improving the performance, integrity,

00:17accountability and transparency of the whole of government.

00:21This role is responsible for managing the personnel who work for the government, what

00:26the federal government purchases, and how the federal government manages its money.

00:32Given his record and views, I have serious concerns about how Eric Ulan will carry out

00:38these responsibilities.

00:40First, I am concerned by his willingness to break the law, especially when it comes to

00:47Congress's power of the purse.

00:49He supports the Administration's efforts to illegally withhold funding that Congress has

00:55passed into law.

00:58Mr. Ulan currently serves as the Acting Chief of Staff at the Office of Management and Budget,

01:04and he has helped freeze federal funds and grants and loans across the government – illegal

01:10actions that shut off resources for police departments, hospitals and workforce development

01:17agencies.

01:19Like all of my colleagues in Congress, I swore an oath to uphold and follow the laws set

01:24forth in our Constitution, which affirms Congress, and Congress alone is responsible for deciding

01:31how federal funds are spent, not the President or members of his administration.

01:38Eric Ulan has also been a staunch supporter of recklessly and indiscriminately shutting down

01:45agencies and laying off employees, with no regard for how these actions might harm the government's

01:51ability to protect our national security or provide vital services to the American people.

02:00He refused to commit to even analyzing the impact that mass firings have had on the effectiveness

02:06of the federal workforce, let alone acknowledging that the harm government services will experience

02:13as a result of these actions.

02:16Finally, Eric Ulan has made it clear that he will ignore conflicts of interest in the government's

02:22policy and contracting decisions, letting those in charge of government use it as a tool

02:28to enrich themselves.

02:31As Elon Musk is pushing agencies to purchase services that his own companies provide, and

02:38shutting down agencies that are investigating his companies, Eric Ulan told me that he was unable

02:45to see any conflicts of interest raised by Elon Musk's influence on government decisions.

02:53Government should make decisions in the interest of the people, and not in the interest of conflicted

02:59billionaire donors to the President like Elon Musk.

03:04If Eric Ulan is confirmed, I am concerned that he will defy our duly passed laws and our Constitution

03:11to continue President Trump and Elon Musk's assault on the federal government.

03:17Because of this, I oppose Eric Ulan's nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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