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The Office of Management and Budget has allocated $15 million of the agency's remaining funds to protect Vought through the end of 2026.
According to an exclusive report by Reuters, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is using millions of dollars from the remaining funds of the former US foreign aid agency, USAID, to cover the security costs of its director, Russell Vought.
Reuters, citing three documents it has seen, reports that the OMB has allocated $15 million from remaining USAID operating expenses to fund the protection of Vought by the U.S. Marshals Service through the end of 2026.
A source familiar with the matter said Vought's security team consists of more than a dozen federal marshals, but Reuters notes that it was unable to independently confirm this information.
The Marshals Service did not comment on Vought specifically, stating that it does not identify people who are under protection but that it typically seeks reimbursement from the agency it supports.
Asked about the use of USAID funds, OMB spokeswoman Rachel Cauley said in an email: “We will continue to use available funds across the three agencies overseen by the director to protect him.”
She appeared to be referring to OMB, USAID, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where Vought serves as director.
According to one of the documents, Vought served as acting director of USAID for nearly 90 days last year, before his deputy took over in November. He remains a senior adviser to the agency, which is closing down.
President Donald Trump's administration dissolved USAID last year and canceled most of its aid programs, transferring responsibility for foreign assistance to the State Department. A reduced staff of just over 100 employees and contractors is winding down remaining contracts, with the 64-year-old agency expected to finally close by September.
One of the documents reviewed by Reuters shows that OMB signed an agreement with USAID on September 11 of last year to cover Vought's security costs during his tenure as acting director of the agency, which ended in November. The $1.6 million was funded from USAID's remaining operating funds.
According to the documents, OMB budgeted another $13.5 million in USAID funds to cover Vought's security costs through the end of this year, in connection with his current role as a senior advisor to USAID.
A source familiar with the matter said that Vought has received serious threats, which he said are related to his role as one of the main authors of "Project 2025," a conservative political platform that has influenced the policies of the Trump administration.
Reuters notes that it was unable to independently verify these threats or their connection to the project.
Last week, police in Northern Virginia announced the arrest of a 26-year-old man for attempted murder. According to media reports, Vought was the target, but an Arlington County police spokeswoman would not confirm that.
In a statement to Reuters, OMB spokeswoman Cauley accused “the Left,” without further specification, of pursuing a strategy that fosters a “culture of assassinations against public officials” and then expressed surprise at the measures needed for their security. This statement represents the OMB’s position.
Reuters notes that Vought's use of bodyguards comes amid a period of increasing threats and incidents of violence against American officials, judges, and politicians of both parties since 2020. President Trump himself has been the target of two assassination attempts.
In July, Vought requested funding from the CFPB to help cover $4.7 million in security costs through the remainder of 2025, according to an email first seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter. The email was first reported by GovExec.
President Trump ordered the closure of USAID shortly after taking office in January, claiming, without providing evidence, that the agency was involved in corruption.
About 10,000 USAID employees and thousands of contractors were laid off and thousands of programs were cut, affecting U.S.-funded humanitarian operations around the world. USAID stopped distributing aid in July. /Adapted Pamphlet /
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