Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy revealed his plan to drastically reduce the size of the federal government over the weekend – announcing he would fire workers based on their Social Security numbers.
In a broadcast on X Sunday, Ramaswamy said that if he were elected the next commander-in-chief of the United States, he would “immediately fire 50% of federal bureaucrats.”
“Here’s how: if you [Social Security number] ending in an odd number, you’re fired,” he wrote.
“That shrinks the government by half. Absolutely *nothing* will break as a result,” claimed Ramaswamy.
The 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur argued that the plan would not violate civil service rules “because mass layoffs are excluded” and would prevent civil servants from claiming their dismissals were politically motivated.
“Further shots can be done with a chisel, but Step 1 has to be with an uncontrolled chainsaw or it won’t happen,” Ramaswamy argued.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that if he were elected the next commander in chief of the United States, he would fire 50% of federal bureaucrats.Getty Images
The challenger then claimed that the reason former President Donald Trump could not reduce the size of the federal government was because of civil service protections.
“He has faced millions of claims of discrimination and political retaliation — and is stuck in court forever,” Ramaswamy said.
“Here’s the solution: randomness. Dismissal without discretion is legally defensible and circumvents civil service rules.”
Ramaswamy argued that the plan would not violate civil service rules because mass layoffs were excluded.Getty Images
The presidential candidate has campaigned on a platform of shrinking the size of the federal government, promising in September he would lay off more than 75% of the federal workforce and close several key agencies — including the Department of Education, the FBI, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Substances Explosion.
“We will use executive power to shut down the deep state,” Ramaswamy told supporters at the America First Policy Institute, according to the New York Times.
About 2.25 million people work for the federal government in civilian roles, and cutting more than 75% of that number would result in more than 1.6 million people being laid off.
Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office has noted that nearly 60% of federal public employees work in the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security — all agencies that Ramaswamy has not pledged to cut.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
