Mick Mulvaney currently holds both the title of Acting White House Chief of Staff and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director. Conflicting information on his duties raises questions around what role Mulvaney currently plays at OMB and if it is in compliance with White House rules. 

Since December 2018, Mulvaney has been on detail from OMB to the White House as Acting Chief of Staff. Russell Vought, who was previously Deputy Director under Mulvaney, has since been identified as Acting OMB Director. Additionally, CREW discovered that Mulvaney’s OMB email account was deactivated shortly after his appointment to the White House, raising questions about whether Mulvaney is carrying out any OMB-related duties. However, on his official White House website biography, Mulvaney is listed as the OMB Director and reportedly continues to receive his OMB salary. Of particular public concern is whether Mulvaney’s detail to the White House is in legal compliance with rules which require the White House to reimburse agencies who loan their employees for certain periods of time. 

CREW requested OMB records on the terms of Mulvaney’s detail to the White House and his salary. CREW also requested any records that describe any delegations of authority to Vought and any work that Mulvaney conducted as OMB Director during the time of his detail. Finally, CREW requested documents around the deactivation of Mulvaney’s OMB email.

The requested records would clarify Mulvaney’s role within OMB and the White House and reveal if his detail is in compliance with applicable regulations. Given that Trump tweeted that Mulvaney is likely to remain Acting Chief of Staff indefinitely, the public deserves to know the terms of his detail and how OMB is operating, and under whose leadership, in his ongoing absence. 

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