Washington, Sept. 15: Indian American-Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has said he would fire more than 75 per cent of the federal workforce and shutter several major agencies like the FBI if he wins the 2024 election, as he continued to put forward strident proposals that have helped him stand out in the crowded primary field.

In an interview with American news website Axios, Ramaswamy said that his targets would be the Department of Education, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the IRS and the Commerce Department.

“We would start on day one, and we want a 50 per cent reduction by the end of year one,” he was quoted as saying.

"Keep in mind that 30 per cent of these employees are eligible for retirement in the next five-year period," Ramaswamy, 38, said.

"So it is substantial — no doubt about it — but it's not as crazy as it sounds," he said.

According to Axios, Ramaswamy says his eventual goal would be to cut the federal civil workforce of 2.2 million people by 75 per cent after four years.

Ramaswamy made a strong case in a speech at the America First Policy Institute.

"In order to actually get this job done, we're going to have to confront several myths that have been perpetuated in this town by advisers and members of the very bureaucracy that we're trying to shut down that we're going to have to confront and overcome," Ramaswamy asserted.-Agencies