MANCHESTER, N.H.–Vivek Ramaswamy says it is time for America to return to nuclear power as an energy source as a means to further reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels and oil-rich countries in the Middle East.
The GOP presidential candidate told a New Hampshire audience on Wednesday that nuclear energy is one of the “greatest forms of carbon-free energy products” and that it’s hypocritical for climate change activists to oppose its use.
“I do think it is hypocritical that many of the opponents of fossil fuels are also the biggest opponents of nuclear energy,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
Mr. Ramaswamy broached the subject of nuclear power during a debate with California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna.
The hourlong event was cordial and a bit unusual. It involved none of the other presidential candidates, and Mr. Khanna seemed to be there only to present an opposing view to Mr. Ramaswamy’s answers to questions posed by Boston Globe political reporter James Pindell, the sole debate moderator.
The discussion came just a week before the third GOP debate, slated for Nov. 8, and at a time the biotech venture capitalist could use a boost in his poll showings. According to the influential Iowa Poll, Mr. Ramaswamy’s popularity declined in August, and he is now trailing South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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All three have a massive gap to make up to catch former President Donald Trump, who is holding strong as the front-runner for the GOP nomination. On Oct. 31, Morning Consult Pro released an updated survey showing President Trump leading Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley by 48 percent.
Mr. Ramaswamy brought up nuclear energy as part of a discussion about climate change.
He pointed out that China has already taken the lead globally in constructing new nuclear power plants as the United States continues to decommission nuclear reactors across the country.
The candidate suggested a return to nuclear energy would help the United States avoid what many view as an impending World War III.
Mr. Ramaswamy said a catalyst for the Israel-Hamas war could have been U.S.-led nuclear technology talks with Iran’s rival, Saudi Arabia. He pointed out they took place at the end of September, shortly before the Oct. 7 surprise Hamas attack on Israeli civilians at a music festival that resulted in 1,400 deaths and more than 200 people taken hostage.
“We have to confront the reality that every time we stick our nose in the Middle East, it’s like somebody walking into a glass shop,” he said, “We think we’re helping, but it’s a bull in a China shop; we make things worse and leave a mess behind.”
Mr. Khanna said he was open to promoting nuclear energy, but believes it should remain a priority for America to continue to ally with the Middle East for access to its oil reserves.
He wanted to know why Mr. Ramaswamy “had a problem with America also leading in solar wind and clean forms of energy?”
Mr. Ramaswamy said special interests, not elected officials, moved the United States away from nuclear energy and pointed to the under-used Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a way to explore the energy source.
“A lot of this agenda has nothing to do with the climate,” he said. “It is about flogging ourselves in what has become a modern cult in apologizing for a modern way of life.”
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the first new nuclear reactor built in the United States since 2016 began commercial operation in Georgia in August. Construction began in 2009 and it cost $30 billion to build.
According to the federal agency, 37 nuclear power plants have been shut down in the United States since 1972, with more scheduled to close within the year.
As U.S nuclear electricity generation continues to decline, other countries heavily rely on it, according to the EIA. France, for example, draws 68 percent of its electricity from nuclear power plants.
The two men also differed on how to grow the U.S. economy, with Mr. Khanna calling for a repeal of former Republican administration tax cuts to create tax revenue while Mr. Ramaswamy suggested de-federalizing the government to create more accountability for the use of tax dollars.
In a policy speech in September, Mr. Ramaswamy said he'd cut as much as 75 percent of the federal workforce.
“My vision is the people we elect to run the government should run the government, and not the bureaucrats,” he said.
He and fellow GOP candidates Ms. Haley and Gov. DeSantis, have also called for eliminating federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Education.
During the debate, Mr. Khanna said such a cut would be detrimental to America’s children since 90 percent of them attend public school and rely on federal tax dollars for government assistance for student loans and apprenticeship programs.
The men also sparred over jobs creation under the Biden administration. Mr. Khanna praised President Biden for creating millions of new jobs, with Mr. Ramaswamy countering that most of those jobs were government jobs.
