Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), one of the founding members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 16 to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
The vote was 51-49, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) crossing party lines to oppose the nomination.
Mulvaney, who entered Congress during the Tea Party wave of 2010, helped to found the Freedom Caucus and led efforts in the House of Representatives to oppose raising the debt ceiling on many occasions including during the 2013 “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
