(VitalNews.org) – If GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wins the White House in 2024, he says a few federal agencies will be on the chopping block during his administration.
The entrepreneur and author delivered a speech for the America First Policy Institute on Wednesday. During his remarks, Ramaswamy said he’s considering abolishing five federal agencies if he becomes president: the FBI; the Department of Education; the IRS; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Commerce Department; and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Ramaswamy referred to the office of the presidency as “the CEO” and said that the executive branch leader has “the authority” to choose who to hire into that branch. “Speaking as CEO,” he said, if somebody works for a boss but can’t be fired by that boss, then “they don’t work” for that boss, but the other way around.
The political newcomer said he would stomp out at least six federal agencies, which would reduce the federal workforce of 2.2 million employed citizens by 75%.
Reigning in federal bureaucracy isn’t a new talking point. Former President Donald Trump is running on a similar stance, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Ramaswamy argues that civil service laws could permit the president to fire many government employees all at once if an official reduction in force is enacted out of need. He believes “large-scale mass layoffs” are what his administration would “bring to the D.C. bureaucracy,” which he said is not only “necessary,” but “sanctioned by the law” of the US.
He added that he would appoint Cabinet secretaries and other leaders to carry out the layoffs fairly. According to Ramaswamy, anyone who has a problem carrying out “mass layoffs” and “large reduction of force” according to the statute should not serve in a Cabinet position. He called it a “litmus test” for which candidates should be considered for the job.
Ramaswamy is currently the third runner-up in many GOP polls for the Republican nomination, behind DeSantis and Trump, who remains the front-runner.
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