DeSantis suggests moving federal agencies outside DC

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to note Asa Hutchinson is a former Arkansas governor.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suggested in a new interview that some federal agencies should be moved out of Washington, D.C. to counter the “accumulation of power” in the nation’s capital.

“Too much power has accumulated in D.C. and the result is a detached administrative state that rules over us and imposes its will on us,” DeSantis said in an interview with The New York Post published on Saturday.

“While there are a host of things that need to be done to re-constitutionalize government, parceling out federal agencies to other parts of the country could help reduce the negative effects of this accumulation of power.”

DeSantis also defended his controversial actions around education, saying he does not “promise things [he] can’t deliver.”

The Florida governor has recently received nationwide attention and criticism for blocking an AP African American Studies course and signing a bill that required public school books to meet state standards, like mandating that they are “age-appropriate” and free of pornography.

“Virtually every major institution in our country is attempting to impose a ‘progressive’ agenda on society,” DeSantis said. “Florida strives to protect the ability of its citizens to live their lives free from this agenda being shoved down their throats.”

DeSantis, who was first elected to the Florida’s governorship in 2018, is seen as a likely 2024 presidential candidate, although he has yet to formally announce his campaign.

Still, he has become a frequent target of former President Trump, who was the first prominent Republican to enter the 2024 race.

DeSantis is among a number of Republican governors and former governors considering a White House bid, including New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced her campaign for the nation’s top seat last week, making her the first Republican to formally challenge Trump in the 2024 GOP primary.

Haley, Trump’s former United Nations ambassador, is among a handful of top administration officials eyeing the White House, along with former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

–Updated on Feb. 20 at 8:56 a.m.