Trump Announces Yet Another Anti-LGBT Cabinet Pick, Budget Director Mick Mulvaney

S.C. Congressman Used Sleazy Anti-Gay Robocall In 2008 State Senate Race

President-Elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he plans to nominate South Carolina GOP Congressman Mick Mulvaney for budget director. 

Mulvaney is best known as an anti-establishment, obstructionist fiscal hawk, but he also happens to be a staunch social conservative. 

First elected in the tea party wave of 2010, Mulvaney has received a score of zero on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard for each of his two completed terms in the House.

Mulvaney was a relatively early co-sponsor of the so-called First Amendment Defense Act, the horrific anti-LGBT religious freedom measure Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee plans to refile in 2017. Earlier this year, when Democrats introduced an amendment to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors, Mulvaney called it “a political move designed to shipwreck the appropriations process.” 

In his 2008 state Senate race, Mulvaney reportedly was responsible for a fake, sleazy robocall attacking his Democratic opponent, Mandy Powers Norrell. The robocall purported to be a from a group called “The Alliance for the Advancement of Gays and Lesbians,” which didn’t exist, and touted Norrell’s support for “homosexual unions and abortion rights.” Here’s a transcript:

Hi, this is Allison calling from the Alliance for the Advancement of Gays and Lesbians.

We are a pro-gay rights, pro-choice grassroots organization.

I am calling to let you know that we are supporting Mandy Powers Norrell in the state Senate. 

A proven Democrat, Mandy Powers Norrell supports homosexual unions and abortion rights. We can count on Mandy Powers Norrell to promote a progressive agenda in the state Senate and to fight the right wing fringe at every turn.

Again, this is Allison with the Alliance for the Advancement of Gays and Lesbians asking you to vote for Democrat Mandy Powers Norrell on Tuesday, November 4. Thank you.

If Mulvaney is confirmed to oversee the Office of Management and Budget, he would be responsible for guiding Trump’s budget requests through Congress, including “a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a tax overhaul and a huge investment in the nation’s infrastructure,” according to The New York Times. 

Mulvaney was among those who refused to back the 2011 deal to raise the debt limit, bringing the US to the brink of default and financial crisis. 

“He’s a tremendous talent, especially when it comes to numbers and budgets,” Trump said in a statement.

Trump’s other anti-LGBT picks for key cabinet posts include Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Betsy Devos for Education secretary, and Ben Carson for secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

GLAAD recently launched its Trump Accountability Project to track the many anti-LGBT actions and statements of Trump’s cabinet picks and others in his incoming administration.