Vivek Ramaswamy Pledges Day-One Executive Orders on Data Centers, Grants and Taxes
Campaign platform pledges outline Day One directives targeting development permits, immigration detainers, property tax reviews and state contracts.
Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a campaign stop in Vandalia, Ohio, on Oct. 3, 2026.
Credit: Roberto Schmidt / Getty via NBC News Image source
Vivek Ramaswamy announced on Oct. 30 that he would sign seven executive orders on his first day as Ohio governor on Jan. 11, 2027. The Republican nominee's campaign platform pledges focus on development pauses, local government compliance, tax oversight and state administrative spending.
A central directive would instruct every state agency, board and commission to pause state approvals for new data center projects until state lawmakers pass comprehensive data center legislation. In Central Ohio, where technology companies have acquired thousands of acres across Franklin, Licking and surrounding counties for computing campuses, the proposal would halt state approvals as local communities navigate electric grid demands, water usage and tax abatements.
Under an immigration enforcement proposal, Ramaswamy pledged to withhold state executive grants from local governments that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. If a political subdivision does not honor federal detainer requests or share information as federal law allows, the jurisdiction would lose eligibility for state grants run by executive agencies, including public-safety and homeland-security grants. The campaign release did not state which specific municipalities would lose grant funding under the detainer order.
A property tax directive would order the Department of Taxation, in consultation with the Auditor of State, to review property tax changes across every county, township, municipality, school district and special district in Ohio. Every jurisdiction where property taxes jumped over 100% since 2020 would face an investigation into spending realities and needs. The campaign announcement did not identify which local taxing districts would be subject to reviews.
The remaining Day One orders target state healthcare spending, law enforcement funding and administrative oversight. Ramaswamy pledged to direct the Department of Medicaid to apply for a Section 1115 spending cap waiver modeled on Tennessee's shared-savings agreement, which permits states to keep up to 55 percent of federal savings when spending stays below the cap. Another executive order would direct the Departments of Public Safety and of Rehabilitation and Corrections to prioritize violent crime clearance rates in discretionary funding available to support local law enforcement.
Ramaswamy also pledged to order a comprehensive review of all executive-branch contracts paid in part or in full from the General Revenue Fund to recommend continuation or termination. Finally, the seventh executive order would establish an inter-agency task force, reporting directly to the governor, focused on combating fraud including Medicaid fraud, benefits fraud, visa fraud, foreign CDL licensure and abuse of foreign hiring by public entities.
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Vivek Ramaswamy Unveils His Day One Executive Orders for Ohio
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Vivek Ramaswamy announced on Oct. 30 that he would sign seven executive orders on his first day as Ohio governor on Jan. 11, 2027.
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Vivek Ramaswamy Unveils His Day One Executive Orders for Ohio Announcement follows Vivek's pledge earlier this week to launch investigations of local property tax hikesCOLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Vivek Ramaswamy announced seven executive orders he will sign on his first day as Governor - on January 11, 2027.
A central directive would instruct every state agency, board and commission to pause state approvals for new data center projects until state lawmakers pass comprehensive data center legislation.
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This executive order directs every state agency, board, and commission to pause action on any application, permit, incentive or approval for a new data center to give the General Assembly time to pass comprehensive data center legislation that includes Vivek's non-negotiable principles.
If a political subdivision does not honor federal detainer requests or share information as federal law allows, the jurisdiction would lose eligibility for state grants run by executive agencies, including public-safety and homeland-security grants.
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Specifically, if a political subdivision does not honor detainer requests or share information as federal law allows, the local government will lose eligibility for state grants run by executive agencies, including public-safety and homeland-security grants, until it complies.
Every jurisdiction where property taxes jumped over 100% since 2020 would face an investigation into spending realities and needs.
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Every jurisdiction that has seen an increase of over 100% in property taxes since 2020 will be subject to a full investigation into spending realities and needs.
Ramaswamy pledged to direct the Department of Medicaid to apply for a Section 1115 spending cap waiver modeled on Tennessee's shared-savings agreement, which permits states to keep up to 55 percent of federal savings when spending stays below the cap.
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This order will direct the Department of Medicaid to apply for a Section 1115 waiver that caps Ohio's Medicaid spending, in line with Tennessee's original TennCare III waiver, which let the state keep up to 55 percent of federal savings when it spent below the cap.
Another executive order would direct the Departments of Public Safety and of Rehabilitation and Corrections to prioritize violent crime clearance rates in discretionary funding available to support local law enforcement.
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E.O. #5: Prioritize solving violent crimes to rapidly get criminals off our streets.This executive order will direct the Departments of Public Safety and of Rehabilitation and Corrections to prioritize violent crime clearance rates in discretionary funding available to support local law enforcement.
Ramaswamy also pledged to order a comprehensive review of all executive-branch contracts paid in part or in full from the General Revenue Fund to recommend continuation or termination.
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This executive order will order a review of every executive-branch contract paid in-part or in-full from the General Revenue Fund. The Department of Administrative Services, working with the Office of Budget and Management, will review each contract's legal basis, necessity, performance, alternatives, and the cost of ending it versus continuing it, then recommend continuation or termination.
Finally, the seventh executive order would establish an inter-agency task force, reporting directly to the governor, focused on combating fraud including Medicaid fraud, benefits fraud, visa fraud, foreign CDL licensure and abuse of foreign hiring by public entities.
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E.O. #7: Establish an inter-agency anti-fraud task force, with direct accountability to the Governor. This executive order will establish an inter-agency task force, reporting directly to the Governor, focused on combating various forms of fraud including, but not limited to: Medicaid fraud, benefits fraud, and child care fraud; visa fraud; voter registration fraud; trucking fraud; foreign CDL licensure; and abuse of foreign hiring by public entities.