The All-Nighter: Why Democrats Kept Their Chairs Warm.

Democrats decided to have a bit of a sleepover on the Senate floor. They weren't playing games, or telling ghost stories. They were there deliberately to protest a nomination. A dude named Russell Vought. He's up for the Office of Management and Budget. Not exactly a fun title, but it basically means he can give the president a big fat bow-tie and the keys to the car when it comes to the budget. Picture this: Wednesday night turns into Thursday morning. Democrats didn't want to give up the floor. They had a plan to pack the night full of talks. If they had plenty of time to chat before voting on Vought happens toward the evening. At the end of the day, Vought would be confirmed with 53 votes in favor and 47 against. Freshman Sen Andy Kim, who is new enough to still have shiny new furniture, stated that Vought thinks the president should be the king of the executive branch. No sharing allowed, so he'd be the big boss.

Now, picture this: a couple of senators, Brian Schatz and Chris Murphy, had the late shift. The tech bros in the executive branch were mentioned. They're asking why the government can't run like a business. Well Schatz had an answer: a hospital in the middle of nowhere, no national transportation network and more. That'd be the cold reality of business talk, which isn't what the public wants. The mountain dew was flowing, too. Some even joked about Diet Mountain Dew being the life blood of the Senate. John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader, was all about praising Vought's qualifications. He even said Vought would be a big help in reducing government waste. Sure, He'll be the big hero of the budget if he can manage it. . Democrats acted out in this way to keep Vought away from getting away with a big seat of power.

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