WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would seek to eliminate the Departments of Energy, Commerce and Education, as well as the Internal Revenue Service, if he were elected president, he suggested in a television interview on Wednesday.
The Department of Education in particular has been a target for conservatives, and former President Donald Trump has also called for its abolition.
DeSantis' embrace of eliminating major federal agencies early in the Republican presidential primary underlines the emphasis his campaign has put on radically downsizing the federal bureaucracy.
The Florida governor has consistently trailed Trump in public opinion polls, but his level of support is higher than that of the rest of the Republican pack.
About 43% of Republicans backed Trump in a June 9-12 Reuters/Ipsos poll, compared with 22% supporting DeSantis.
Persons:
Ron DeSantis, Martha MacCallum, we'll, Donald Trump, Gram Slattery, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
of Energy, Commerce, Education, Internal Revenue Service, we'd, IRS, Fox News, Republicans, of Education, Republican, Trump, Thomson
Locations:
Florida