Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate, has vowed to overhaul the government by eliminating a number of key federal agencies if he wins the 2024 elections.
Ramaswamy, in his conversation with Fox News Digital, mentioned several institutions he believes are unnecessary including the Department of Education, the FBI, the ATF, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the IRS, the Department of Commerce and even added the CDC.
The candidate asserts his presidency will involve a dramatic shutdown of the administrative machinery under the executive branch. He argued that this will stimulate economic growth by removing the regulatory hurdles faced by businesses, thereby restoring the three-branch constitutional republic and boosting the GDP growth above four percent.
Speaking at the libertarian FreedomFest conference in Memphis, Ramaswamy boldly stated that by the conclusion of his potential second term in January 2033, the federal employee count would have been slashed by more than 75%, which he characterizes as removing the “unconstitutional fourth branch of government.”
In further elaboration on his plans, he focused particularly on the dissolution of the FBI, describing it as an institution “born corrupt” under J. Edgar Hoover. He contended that agencies like the US Marshals and the DOJ at the federal level were sufficient, rendering the FBI redundant, wasteful and a breeding ground for corruption.
Ramaswamy also committed to disclosing instances of government agencies coercing private entities such as social media firms and banks to execute tasks they could not legally do directly, through an executive order.
Ramaswamy, self-described as “unapologetically pro-life”, earlier in the week was in the limelight for his interaction with a protester ardently supporting abortion rights at an Iowa event. He did not directly respond to whether he would support a bill restricting abortions at certain gestational stages, instead asserting his belief that such issues should be state-level matters. However, he did express commitment to defunding Planned Parenthood.
With regard to the electability factor that has become a key theme in the 2024 race, Ramaswamy affirmed that several GOP candidates, including himself and even former President Trump, are capable of defeating Biden, although he believes he alone can secure a landslide victory, not just a slim majority.
Ramaswamy’s campaign launched a novel fundraising program, “Vivek’s Kitchen Cabinet,” on Monday, offering supporters a 10% commission on funds raised for his campaign, an effort seen as democratizing political fundraising.
Significantly, Ramaswamy’s campaign has surpassed the RNC’s fundraising prerequisite of 40,000 unique donors required for the first GOP primary debate, having claimed to have achieved over 60,000 unique donors as of early July.
