Republican Presidential Candidate's Radical Suggestions To Disband FBI, Expand DEA In Conflict With Previous Statements

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently gave a domestic policy speech revealing some interesting, if odd, plans concerning the federal government's workforce. Some of the changes he proposed are not quite in line with his previous statements.

What happened: Ramaswamy proposed reducing the federal employee headcount by 75%. According to him, out of the 35,000 FBI employees, some 20,000 are in non-essential positions. Ramaswamy suggests that those 20,000 could find decent jobs in private networks, while the remaining 15,000 should join other departments such as the DEA.

Why it matters: It is interesting that Ramaswamy, who has expressed his opposition to the war on drugs, wants to expand the DEA. He justifies the idea by saying that the DEA is “taking on the drug enforcement problems that we have in this country,” writes Marijuana Moment.

Without marijuana reform on the federal level, an empowered DEA would likely continue to enforce the war on drugs, which Ramaswamy says he opposes. He has also expressed support for cannabis legalization and even decriminalization of certain psychedelics.

Last month, Ramaswamy agreed with Bill Maher that it is a joke that cannabis is not legal nationwide.

What’s next: How Ramaswamy would re-organize the federal government and compel the DEA to focus on opioids and fentanyl rather than cannabis remains to be seen if the billionaire entrepreneur gets into the White House, which seems unlikely at the moment. 

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Photo: Benzinga edit with image by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons and 2H Media via Unsplash