Reports: Conservative South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney to Lead Trump's Budget Office

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget, according to news reports.The news, first reported by McClatchy on Friday afternoon, was confirmed to CNN by Trump's former campaign manager and transition adviser Kellyanne Conway.Mulvaney, a fiscal conservative and co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, would be in charge of managing the White House’s annual proposed budget and overseeing the federal government’s purchase of goods and services if confirmed by the Senate.The South Carolina Republican had been open about his pursuit of the job, writing in a Facebook post weeks before the election when asked about a potential Trump Cabinet spot that he “would love to be the director” of the budget office.“That is where I think REAL improvements could be made in how the government is run,” he wrote.Mulvaney has been a vocal critic of federal spending during President Obama's tenure, repeatedly vowing to oppose any efforts to raise the debt limit, even if it would lead to a government shutdown.First elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, Mulvaney quickly established himself as one of the more outspoken members of a rigid conservative bloc in the House that became a thorn in the side of Speaker John Boehner in his final years before retirement.After reports emerged that Mulvaney would get the nod, Republicans in his home state began offering congratulations and lauding the decision.  Continue reading...

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