Four federal agencies President Ted Cruz could do without

Washington Post ^ | July 24 at 8:00 AM | Amber Phillips

[SoConPubbie]

Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) sure does want to shut down a lot of the federal agencies he hopes to one day run.

The firebrand conservative and GOP presidential candidate has defined his young Senate career by almost reflexively opposing increased government spending and programs . . .

"I think we should shrink the size and power of the federal government by every and any means possible," he told the Daily Caller in 2012. -- snip --

The State Department

Most recently, Cruz threatened in a letter to President Obama to hold up State Department nominees and hold all bills that fund it. He hopes cutting off funding for our nation's hub of diplomacy will ensure President Obama doesn't let the United Nations approve the Iran nuclear deal before Congress can.

-- Snip --

The IRS

In the days before he made his presidential campaign official, Cruz traveled to New Hampshire and vowed to abolish the IRS. Cruz reiterated his 2012 call for the IRS to go -- which would mean no taxes for anyone, we guess? To justify his position, he compared federal regulators to locusts that deserve to be killed.

-- Snip --

The Department of Education

At the same New Hampshire campaign event, Cruz said the Department of Education must close. -- snip --

The Export-Import Bank

Cruz has already succeeded in temporarily closing down the Export-Import Bank, -- snip --. He and fellow tea party conservatives view the bank as a shining example of crony capitalism. -- snip --

And more to come ...

Cruz may have an agency hit list longer than these four. According to Politifact.com, Cruz told the Houston Chronicle in 2012 he'd also get rid of: "the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the National Endowment of the Arts."

[SoConPubbie]

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[SoConPubbie]

    Ted Cruz Ping!

    If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
    Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

    CRUZ or LOSE!

[cripplecreek]

[PROCON]

Heads up to Cruz on the Rush show about 9:45ish PDT.

[Pollster1]

I could easily cut $500B a year from FedGov without losing anything of value, and I believe Cruz could do even more. His challenge will be dealing with the RINOs in Congress, so I hope we’ll knock off a few more RINOs in the primaries and pick up a few more seats from vulnerable democrats.

[dainbramaged]

That’s a good start, along with the Dept. of Energy and HUD.

[Fred Hayek]

The nuclear side of DoE, National Nuclear Security Agency, should be placed under Department of Defense. The rest of DoE has been taken over by “green energy” charlatans.

[fatnotlazy]

I would recommend getting rid of the EPA, the FCC, the FTC and the FEC.

We have far too many departments, agencies and bureaus micromanaging every aspect of life. I don't believe the Founding Fathers ever intended such a federal behemoth.

[CaptainKip]

Yep and please Lord, the miserable EPA!

[ken5050]

Planned Parenthood is all but a federal agency..

[SharpRightTurn]

HUD needs to be at the top of the list to be cut. Then let bring out the chain saw.

[PGalt]

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

list of grievances - Declaration

Great post, great thread…HOORAY Ted.

http://www.usdebtclock.org

Save a republic, fire the government and its progressive pigs sloughing at the trough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4WWmHRO5-A

[Paladin2]

I’d Zer0 out the State Dept and start over from scratch. Same with the CIA.

[Kartographer]

Didn’t Trump already say this? Plus how he was going to make the Russian pay for our Defense Department? ;-)

[MaxMax]

Don't forget to sell off all their buildings, or have them raised.
Otherwise the next potus will just fill them back up.

Our Gov needs to be set back 100 years in order for Constitutional
rule of law to prevail.

[SoConPubbie]

Didn’t Trump already say this?

I doubt that he was anywhere as near as comprehensive as Senator Cruz was.

When it comes to getting the Federal Government into a shape and size that is more constitutional, I doubt Trump has a clue, or the necessary fidelity to the Constitution, to get it done.

Cruz does.

[DoodleDawg]

If pressed at least Ted Cruz could remember them all.

[DoughtyOne]

The first government agency he should defund would be the Washington Post.

It’s nothing but a propaganda rag presenting information that is detrimental to our nation.

Yes, tongue in cheek. No, it is not uncalled for.

[1010RD]

His challenge will be dealing with... every recipient of the $500 billion. Remember when they tried to reduce NPRs budget?

How much would you spend to keep $500 billion in annual receipts?

[zeugma]

The government can’t even close down the Department of Redundancy Department.