Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry says it’s time for a “complete overhaul” of the federal bureaucracy.
Perry went to a Bettendorf manufacturing plant this morning to deliver a speech outlining steps to “fix” what he called the “broken three branches” of the federal government. Perry gave a preview of his ideas last night during a speech at a Scott County G.O.P. fundraiser in Bettendorf.
“The question facing Iowans in 50 days isn’t whether to embrace change, but to decide for them, Iowans to decide who is the most credible messenger of that change,” Perry said. “Now, I’m the first to admit I’m not the most polished candidate out there, but let me tell you one thing: I stick to my principles.”
Congress should be part-time, according to Perry, and he would cut in half the pay for members of congress. Perry would freeze salaries for federal workers, too. He’d also limit terms on the U.S. Supreme Court to 18 years. It’s currently a lifetime appointment.
Perry also called for shutting down federal agencies, like the T.S.A., which screens airline passengers, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He’d have the private sector take over those functions. Perry said this morning in Bettendorf that the federal government is a monument to bureaucratic failure, and it’s time to “uproot, tear down and rebuild.”
“We need new leadership. We need a new builder. We need a Washington Outsider,” Perry said in written remarks released just before he began speaking in Bettendorf. “Unique to the Republican field, I have never been an establishment figure, have never served in Congress or part of an Administration, and have never been a paid lobbyist. My career has been that of a Washington Outsider.”