Vivek Ramaswamy vows to cut federal employees by 75% if elected president
The Republican presidential hopeful also intends to "dismantle the managerial bureaucracy," "shut down toxic government agencies" and "cut wasteful expenditures."
In a speech at the America First Policy Institute in Washington, Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy explained one of his goals if he manages to reach the White House in 2024: to cut the number of civilian federal employees by about 75% over a period of four years.
This plan is not new, according to his campaign website, Ramaswamy aims to "dismantle managerial bureaucracy," "shut down toxic government agencies," "end civil service protections for bureaucrats," "move >75% of federal employees out of Washington D.C.," and "cut wasteful expenditures."
Shutting down certain agencies and departments
Among the agencies and departments that Ramaswamy aims to shut down are: the Department of Education, FBI, Food and Nutrition Service, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Republican candidate claimed that all of them are "redundant" and added that their functions and duties would be transferred to other departments:
Using the "authority" granted to him as president
Ramaswamy also explained that his main tool to achieve his goals will be the "authority" granted to him as president. In the words of the presidential candidate, "The President of the United States enjoys broad statutory authority to prescribe rules for the civil service." He is referring to executive orders that do not need to be approved by Congress: