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Carl P. Leubsdorf / The Dallas Morning News
The sweeping promises that most Republican presidential candidates are making might convince their audiences that a 2024 GOP victory will produce massive changes in the federal government.
But whoever gets elected will quickly encounter reality — just as conservative House Republicans did when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy tossed aside their proposals for deep federal cuts.
The issue arose only briefly in the first two GOP debates. In the first, moderator Bret Baier, listing the federal agencies that Vivek Ramaswamy has promised to close, asked him how he would deal with the education crisis if he shut the Department of Education.
“Take that $80 billion, put it in the hands of parents across this country,” he replied.
Neither rivals nor moderators challenged his imprecise response.
