WATCH: Sen. Padilla asks Vought to ‘grade’ himself on traumatizing employees

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., asked Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to give himself a grade in traumatizing federal employees at a hearing Thursday held by the Senate Budget Committee.

Padilla detailed the federal government’s efforts to downsize over the past 16 months, including funding freezes, layoffs, relocating agencies, and eliminating departments.

“There’s 350,000 fewer federal employees today, and those that remain, a good chunk of them are worried whether they may be next,” Padilla said. “What grade do you give yourself in successfully putting federal employees into trauma?”

“I reject the premise of your question other than to say I’m going to let the President of the United States grade my performance,” Vought said.

Vought, a key figure in President Donald Trump’s administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce, also defended the president's budget request in a House hearing Wednesday.

Trump's funding wish list for fiscal year 2027 includes a staggering bump for defense spending — a nearly 50% increase to $1.5 trillion — to build his "dream military."

The president's budget request is not final, but it does signal the Trump administration's priorities for the coming fiscal year. Though Trump has tried to exert more authority over spending in his second term, it's up to both chambers to revise and approve the final budget in the coming months.

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