DeSantis supports abolishing the IRS, Department of Education, and more — but he also has a backup plan



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently running for president, has indicated that he would support abolishing the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Commerce.

He named the four government entities after Fox News Channel's Martha MacCallum asked him if he would support nixing any agencies.

DeSantis, who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, indicated that he would support eliminating those four government entities if Congress would work with him to do so.

But he also said if the legislature will not support such a move, he would utilize the agencies to counter "woke ideology" and "leftism," such as by using the Department of Education to "reverse all the transgender sports stuff."

DeSantis said that either route would mark a "win for conservatives."

— (@)

In the Republican presidential contest, the Florida governor, who just won re-election last year, has been polling in second place, far behind former President Donald Trump. But while DeSantis is trailing Trump, he has been polling higher than the rest of the GOP presidential primary field.

The first Republican presidential primary debate will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23.

Earlier this week, during remarks in Texas, DeSantis said that he would support rules of engagment that allow for using deadly force against drug cartel operatives who cut through America's border wall. "If somebody were breaking into your house to do something bad, you would respond with force. Yet why don't we do that at the southern border?" he said. DeSantis also said he would designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations or transnational criminal organizations.

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Massie and other Republicans push bill that would terminate an entire department



Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has reintroduced a brief bill that would do away with the U.S. Department of Education.

"The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2023," the text of the concise measure reads.

Massie contends that there is no constitutional authority for the existence of the department. "I have introduced a bill to terminate the Department of Education. There is no Constitutional authority for this federal bureaucracy to exist," Massie tweeted.

\u201cI have introduced a bill to terminate the Department of Education.\n\nThere is no Constitutional authority for this federal bureaucracy to exist.\u201d
— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1676379290

The measure, which has been put forward in the past as well, is unlikely to pass because even if it clears the House where Republicans hold the majority, it will likely stall in the Senate.

"Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children's intellectual and moral development," Massie said, according to a press release. "States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students. Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school."

Massie's press release lists GOP Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Mary Miller of Illinois, and Chip Roy of Texas as original cosponsors. Massie has tweeted thanks to other lawmakers for cosponsoring the bill, including, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Russ Fulcher of Idaho, and Mike Collins of Georgia.

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