Biotech entrepreneur, author, and Republican Party presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy became the first major party candidate of the 2024 election cycle to endorse the Defend the Guard Act. He did so on a campaign stop at the Porcupine Freedom Festival, colloqually known as Porcfest, an annual gathering of libertarians in New Hampshire. During a question and answer session with voters, Ramaswamy was asked his opinion on the Defend the Guard Act. He confirmed his support for the bill’s passage, and pledged that as president he would not deploy National Guard troops into overseas combat without a declaration of war from Congress.
His endorsement was first reported by the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire.
When asked about #DefendTheGuard at #porcfest, @VivekGRamaswamy said he will not allow any National Guard troops to be deployed overseas without a congressional declaration of war.
That is great news and we hope he sticks to his word if he wins.
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— Libertarian Party NH (@LPNH) June 25, 2023
Their tweet was subsequently retweeted by Ramaswamy’s personal Twitter account as confirmation.
In response to Ramaswamy’s endorsement, Bring Our Troops Home founder Dan McKnight released the following statement:
“Every president who raises his right hand to take the oath of office is endorsing the Defend the Guard Act. This bill is fully compliant with Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, which requires a vote by Congress before our brave men and women in uniform can be sent into combat. Unfortunately, no president in the twenty-first century has demonstrated fidelity to the separation of powers and instead they’ve exercised dictatorial control over questions of war and peace. When the federal government usurps its lawful authority, the sovereign states must intervene and correct the imbalance. That is how our federal system was always intended to function, and it’s why we must pass Defend the Guard legislation. Vivek Ramaswamy’s pledge to not deploy the National Guard into undeclared wars is a welcomed message, and demonstrates that he is someone who takes the role of commander in chief seriously. I encourage him to support our efforts to pass Defend the Guard in state legislatures, and ask all other 2024 candidates of both parties to follow his lead in defending the integrity of our National Guard and our Constitution.”
