Fox Business host Larry Kudlow urged Republicans to “seize the opportunity” and cut back on the unelected federal bureaucracy that poses such a threat to our republic.
While admitting that “nobody's thrilled about government shutdowns” because they’re “acrimonious” and “disorderly,” Kudlow also argued that they “get a lot more public attention than they really deserve,” given they don’t have an “economic or stock market impact.” But this shutdown, though induced by Democrats, could present a golden opportunity for Republicans and the future of our nation. And Russ Vought is the man for the job.
Kudlow reassured anxious listeners that “stock indexes actually hit record highs again today,” and “shutdowns don't affect essential programs, [do] not affect Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ benefits, military operations or others, but we do have a shutdown, and I'm going to say it, this shutdown provides an opportunity to greatly reduce the size and scope of the federal government, and when that door opens, it's important to walk through it.”
The “quarterback of this opportunity,” according to Kudlow, is Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought. Kudlow praised Vought for “working hard on these issues for many years,” and shared a previous clip where he asked Vought himself about the Trump administration having the authority to cut federal jobs and programs.
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Vought affirmed, “We do. We have the authority to make permanent change to the bureaucracy here in government. And I think the takeaway for the American people is that we are on the brink of a government shutdown that is caused entirely by Democrats based on their outrageous demands of about $1.5 trillion [for illegal aliens]. We're not going to be held hostage to these kinds of insane, ridiculous demands by the Democrats.”
Kudlow described Vought as “unencumbered by institutional restraints. By that, I mean he's never served as a senator or as a House member.” While Vought has held the position of OMB director before, he does not have the same history of growing rich off taxpayer money and incentives the way many government officials do. “I don't know how many federal employees he will fire during this shutdown, I don't know how many programs he will eliminate, but there are hundreds of unnecessary programs, and by one account, in this morning's papers, something like 800,000,” Kudlow emphasized.
He believes and hopes that “unnecessary federal employees could be on the chopping block.” America is over $37.5 trillion in debt, and massive reform is needed. We’re buying out some federal employees — around 300,000, according to Kudlow — but if Republicans play their cards right, the government “could be a million employees smaller than when Mr. Trump was inaugurated.”
Kudlow continued, “That brings me to another key point. Russ Vought believes in executive power. That means the president and I totally agree the unelected federal bureaucracy should not run the government. It should be run by the chief executive. This includes agencies and boards, commissions, you name it, there is no fourth branch of government.”
The Founding Fathers would be horrified at the size and scope of our federal bureaucracy. Kudlow hopes the shutdown will be a game-changer. “Now let's go for budget empowerment, authority to curb unnecessary and wasteful spending. I know it's controversial, but let's try it, because I believe the President would win that. How about agency commissioners? They should be subject to presidential appointment and dismissal,” he argued.
Many of these executive powers existed for a couple of 100 years before a left-wing Congress removed them during the Richard Nixon Watergate scandal. Well, I think those powers should all be reclaimed. I believe I share this point of view with Russ Vought, deregulating the economy, cutting taxes, ending unnecessary spending, all means towards a very prosperous economy.
As Kudlow so rightly ended, “Now is the time to seize that opportunity.”
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