WHAT
IS PROJECT 2025?
(Numbers in brackets are references to page numbers in the Project 2025 document itself. )
1.
What is Project 2025: Embodied in a 900-page document entitled
“Mandate for Leadership – The Conservative Promise,” developed in collaboration
with more than 100 right wing organizations, Project 2025 is a blueprint for
how the right wing hopes to remake / reinvision federal government PLUS an
actual roadmap and action plan for how to do it.
a.
What’s under attack, in general:
i.
Independence of the civil service
ii.
Rulemaking / policy ability of federal agencies
iii.
The tradition of ensuring continuity of governance
of the basic functions of government no
matter what party is in political office
iv.
Specific programs and (in general) the scope and
work of the federal agencies, to further the Republican agenda of stripping
government of power
b.
More detail about this agenda, from Page
xiv: "Our goal is to assemble an
army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on
Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State."
i.
The term "Administrative State" has
become a scornful description used to stigmatize workers who perform duties for
the administrative agencies of the federal government. The functions being
attacked include things like: national defense; law enforcement; protection of
public health and the environment; the postal service; public works; all forms
of public transportation, including rail and air travel; educational policy.
ii.
Project 2025 seeks to upend the checks and
balances that have been developed over a long period of time to ensure
continuity between elected political administrations and also to ensure the political
neutrality of the administrative side of civil service.
iii.
It specifically seeks to remove thousands of
career civil service employees with political appointees who will serve the
agenda of the current chief executive (President) and whose loyalty is to the
current political administration rather than to the Constitution of the United
States.
iv.
Project 2025 envisions measures far beyond
personnel changes, however. It advocates
measures that, if enacted, would have a dramatic impact on our democracy and on
our freedoms.
AREAS OF PROJECT
2025 BROKEN DOWN BY SPECIFIC TOPIC
2.
Democracy
a.
Project 2025 would concentrate power in the
executive branch by advocating for expanding presidential power over agencies,
including independent agencies, and for making it easier to fire career civil
servants. This could concentrate power in the executive branch and make it
harder for Congress and the courts to check presidential power. [43] [825]
b.
Project 2025 would weaken independent agencies
like the Federal Reserve and the FCC and propose to bring them under political
control. This would impair the agencies' ability to act impartially and
make decisions based on expertise rather than political pressure. [731] [845]
c. Project
2025 would make it easier
for the President to fire government workers who are not political
appointees. This would give the President more power over the people who
work for the government and make it harder for them to do their jobs without
worrying about being fired for political reasons. [80]
d.
Project 2025 would allow religious organizations
to discriminate against people they don't agree with. This would violate
the rights of people who are discriminated against. [586]
e.
Project 2025 would allow the government to use
taxpayer money to support religious organizations. [261] [481]
f.
Project 2025 would advance the agenda of the
“right wing,” including by selectively enforcing laws and prioritizing funding
for certain groups. This could undermine the principle of impartial
government and create a two-tiered system of justice. [545]
g. Overall,
Project 2025 seeks to dismantle and disempower virtually all government
agencies. While often inefficient and bureaucratic, these agencies
are also a key mechanism for implementing laws passed by Congress and
protecting the public interest. Weakening these agencies could lead to
less accountability and weaker enforcement of laws, particularly in areas like
environmental protection, consumer safety, and worker rights. [6]
3.
Civil Rights: On the topic of civil rights, Project 2025 is overtly
hostile to anything related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
a.
US Justice Department Civil Rights Division:
i.
As an
example of its hostility to civil rights, Project 2025 proposes to reverse the Division’s mission. Rather than prosecute public and
private entities which discriminate against people of color and women, the
Justice Department Civil Rights Division would be compelled to utilize “the
full force of federal prosecutorial resources” against employers that promote
diversity in their workforce. The express premise is that any policy
promoting diversity in the workforce necessarily constitutes “affirmative
discrimination” against white people.
ii.
Where does it say this? At pages
561-562, it states: “Even
though numerous federal laws prohibit discrimination based on notable immutable
characteristics such as race and sex, the Biden Administration— through the
DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and other federal entities— has enshrined
affirmative discrimination in all aspects of its operations under the guise of
‘equity.’ Federal agencies and their components have established so-called
diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices that have become the vehicles
for this unlawful discrimination, and all departments and agencies have created
‘equity’ plans to carry out these invidious schemes. To reverse this trend, the
next conservative Administration should: Reorganize and refocus the DOJ’s Civil Rights
Division to serve as the vanguard for this return to lawfulness. The Attorney
General and other DOJ political leadership should provide the resources and
moral support needed for these efforts. The Civil Rights Division should spend
its first year under the next Administration using the full force of federal
prosecutorial resources to investigate and prosecute all state and local
governments, institutions of higher education, corporations, and any other
private employers who are engaged in discrimination in violation of
constitutional and legal requirements.”
b.
Project 2025 promotes
"school choice" and suggests phasing out federal funding for public
education. Allowing taxpayer money to fund private schools and charter
schools (which do not have a mandate of accepting and educating every student
regardless of ability) would intensify existing inequalities in educational
opportunities. This would remove
important funding from public schools and would also reduce access to quality
education for marginalized communities such as students who have disabilities
or who are economically disadvantaged. [5] [319] [351]
c.
Project 2025 allows colleges to
discriminate against students based on their race and sex. This would
mean that some students would be treated unfairly when applying to college,
limiting opportunities for marginalized groups. [352]
d.
Project 2025 advocates the use of public, taxpayer money for private
religious schools. This would blur the line between government and
religion, enable discrimination in admissions, hiring and curriculum based on
religious beliefs, potentially infringing on the religious freedom of students
and families, and reduce funding for and undermine public education. [351]
e.
Project 2025 advocates restrictions on the
application of the Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision, by
revoking workplace protections against sex discrimination that were extended to
LGBTQ+ employees. This enables discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity. [584]
f.
Project 2025 advocates rescission of regulations prohibiting
discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status,
and sex characteristics. This means that the government will no longer
try to protect citizens who do not conform to Project 2025's notion of
"normal,” potentially leading to discrimination in various sectors like
healthcare, housing, and employment. [584]
g.
Project 2025 calls for
elimination of the terms sexual orientation and gender identity, diversity,
equity, and inclusion, gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender
awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, and reproductive
rights among others out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract,
grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists. This means that
these identities, concepts and topics will be "erased" in education,
healthcare and cultural institutions and no longer protected or supported by
the government. This could severely limit the rights and representation of
marginalized groups. [4]
h.
Project 2025 advocates allowing religious
organizations to discriminate against people they don't agree with. [586]
i.
Project
2025 promotes allowing the government to
use taxpayer money to support religious organizations. [261] [481]
j.
Project 2025 advances the Christian Nationalist agenda,
including by selectively enforcing laws and prioritizing funding for certain
groups. This could undermine the principle of impartial government and create a
two-tiered system of justice, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups.
[545]
k.
Project 2025's focus on border security and
immigration enforcement could lead to increased racial profiling and
discrimination against Latinos, immigrants and other people of color who are
legally in the USA. [135] [140]
l.
Project 2025 promotes policies that favor values
and institutions promoted by right-wing religious groups associated with
“Christian Nationalism.” This will marginalize other religious groups (including
not just other religions but also other Christian groups) and undermine the
separation of church and state. [4] [560] [581] [589]
m.
Project 2025 promotes policies that reinforce
traditional gender roles. This will limit opportunities for women and LGBTQ+
individuals. [451] [481]
n.
Project
2025 uses language saying that it supports "traditional family values,"
that being a code word for right wing policy agenda to delegitimize
non-traditional families. This framing often underlies arguments against
abortion and comprehensive sex education, suggesting a push to limit
reproductive choices and remove women’s bodily autonomy. [451] [489]
4.
Climate
a.
Project
2025 claims the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “a
colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate
change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity.” Project
2025 therefore wants to disband NOAA and transfer collection and dissemination
of information to private industry (notably weather reporting channels). [675]
b.
Project 2025 promotes expansion of coal, oil, and natural gas.
This would increase greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbate climate change,
which could lead to more extreme weather like hurricanes and floods and other
negative environmental impacts. [365]
c.
Project 2025 proposes weakening the Endangered Species Act. This
could make it harder to protect species threatened by climate change and could
lead to biodiversity loss. [533]
d.
Project 2025 prioritize economics growth over environmental protection.
This could lead to policies that favor short-term economic gains over long-term
environmental sustainability and could undermine efforts to address climate
change. [418]
e.
Project 2025 opposes "climate-smart"
agricultural practices and withdraws
all grants researching climate friendly agricultural policies. This
would mean that the U.S. would not support efforts to reduce agriculture's
contribution to climate change, potentially leading to increased greenhouse gas
emissions from the agricultural sector. [293]
f.
Project 2025 reduces the role of the federal government in addressing
climate change. This could lead to a lack of coordinated federal action on
climate change and could shift responsibility to states and the private sector,
which may not have the resources or incentives to take effective action. [61]
g.
Project 2025 shifts environmental policymaking to states and localities, even
though commerce is national and international. This could result in a patchwork
of regulations, with some states taking stronger action than others, and could
undermine efforts to address climate change on a national level. [420]
h.
Project 2025 restructures the U.S. Global Change Research
Program. This could lead to the downplaying of climate risks in policy
decisions and weaken the scientific basis for climate action. [59]
i.
Project 2025 would have the US withdraw from international agreements
like the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
This means the U.S. would no longer participate in global efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and could face international criticism and isolation.
[709]
j.
Project 2025 ends funding for "climate
reparations." This would mean that the U.S. would no longer provide
financial assistance to developing countries to help them address the impacts
of climate change, potentially exacerbating global inequalities and hindering
international cooperation on climate action. [389]
k.
Project 2025 promotes the end of SCC (Social
Cost of Carbon) analysis - a dollar estimate of the economic damage caused by
emitting one additional ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This means
that the government will no longer consider the costs of climate change. [61]
l.
Project 2025 proposes elimination of government organizations that work
on climate related issues, such as clean energy, pollution reduction, and other
initiatives to combat climate change. Specific groups it proposes to eliminate
include the Clean Energy Corps, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, and ARPA-E.
These groups work on clean energy, pollution reduction, and other initiatives
to combat climate change. [369]
m.
Project 2025 promotes ending the government's focus on
climate change and green subsidies. This would lead to an acceleration in
climate change and its associated risks like extreme weather events, sea-level
rise, and ecosystem disruption. [378]
n.
Project 2025 proposes elimination of energy
efficiency standards for appliances. This would lead to increased energy
consumption, higher energy bills for consumers, reduced innovation in appliance
technology, and a negative impact on the climate. [378]
5.
Drug Prices
a.
Project 2025 proposes the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug
price negotiation program in Medicare. This would allow drug companies
to charge higher prices for drugs, which would make it more expensive for
people to buy them. [465]
b.
Project 2025 reduces the government share in the
catastrophic tier of Medicare Part D and require manufacturers to bear a larger
share. This would make it more expensive for seniors to buy drugs when they
reach the catastrophic coverage limit. [465]
6.
Education
a.
Project 2025 proposes elimination of the Department of Education,
putting all educational policy and funding into the hands of state and local
governments. This would mean that states would have to pay for all of their
schools, which could result in less money for schools in poorer states and
rural areas. It also deprives parents, teachers, and schools of the resources
from the US Department of Education including guidance and guidelines for best
practices in education. [319]
b.
Project 2025 eliminates funding for special ed and transfers
that to Dept of Health and Human Services to be administered to states through
no-strings attached block grants to be used for any purpose the state wishes.
[326]
c.
Project 2025 prioritizes parents’ rights over the right of every child
to a “free and appropriate public education.” From page 5: “In our schools, the question
of parental authority over their children’s education is a simple one: Schools
serve parents, not the other way around. That is, of course, the best argument
for universal school choice—a goal all conservatives and conservative
Presidents must pursue. But even before we achieve that long-term goal,
parents’ rights as their children’s primary educators should be non-negotiable
in American schools. States, cities and counties, school boards, union bosses,
principals, and teachers who disagree should be immediately cut off from
federal funds.” Parents surely have
a strong interest in the education their children are receiving. They always
have and they always should. However, this proposal must be viewed against the
backdrop of recent efforts to remove professional oversight of education and to
instead empower individual parents to veto teaching from or about books they do
not like and course components with which they disagree. Such a veto power
invites a chaotic free-for-all in which choices made by one parent seriously
and adversely affect the freedom other parents have to make a different choice.
Elected school boards and administrators have maintained a robust educational
system for decades and can continue to ensure that all parental voices be heard
in the process of choosing a curriculum and other aspects of a public
education.
d. Project 2025 proposes
elimination of Title I, which provides extra federal funding for schools in
impoverished areas, transfer funding to Health and Human Services block grants
which could be used however states want. [325]
e. Project 2025 promotes “school
choice" and suggests phasing out federal funding for public education.
This could exacerbate existing inequalities in educational opportunities and
lead to a decline in the quality of public schools. [5] [319] [351]
f.
School Lunches: Project 2025 reduces
the free school lunch program. This would mean that many children may not have
enough to eat while at school. [303]
g. Head Start: Project 2025 calls
for complete elimination of the Head Start program. This would mean that many
children from poor families would not have access to preschool. [482]
h. Financial Aid: Project 2025 makes
it harder for students to get financial aid for college. This would mean that
fewer students from poor families would be able to go to college. [327]
i.
Discrimination: Project 2025 would allow colleges to discriminate
against students based on their race and sex. [352]
j.
Religious Education: Project 2025 allows diversion of
public, taxpayer money to private religious schools. This would blur the line
between government and religion, enable discrimination in admissions, hiring
and curriculum based on religious beliefs, and reduce funding for and undermine
public education. [351]
k.
Project 2025 specifically prevents the CDC from
advising that school children should be masked or vaccinated, saying such
decisions should be left to parents and medical providers. This could lead to
increased disease outbreaks and a resurgence of preventable diseases like
measles and whooping cough. [454]
l.
Project 2025 wades deep into “culture wars” by
proposing elimination of any education about things like “critical race
theory.” [5], [52], [88], [103],
[279], [322], [336], [342], [344], [348], [496], [565], [582], [583], [708]
7.
Environment
a.
Project 2025 proposes to reduce the size and scope of the EPA and
eliminate or weaken various environmental regulations. This means that
companies will be able to pollute more, which will make the air and water
dirtier and could make people sick. [420]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to downsize National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to privatize weather reporting and
eliminate research. [676]
c.
Project 2025 proposes to prioritize industry
over the environment by promoting economic growth and energy production over
environmental protection. This could lead to a prioritization of short-term
economic gains over long-term environmental sustainability. [13] [521]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to allow more pollution
from cars and trucks. [628]
e.
Environmental Impact Studies: Project
2025 proposes to make it easier to build roads and oil pipelines in places
where animals live. [61] [533]
f.
Project 2025 proposes to make it easier to cut
down trees in national forests. [308]
g.
Project
2025 proposes to let companies drill for more oil and gas on public lands.
[521]
h.
Project 2025 proposes to weaken rules that
protect endangered animals. [534]
i.
Project 2025 proposes to stop the government
from studying climate change. [61]
8.
Agriculture
a.
Project 2025 attempts to eliminate farm
subsidies like the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price Loss
Coverage (PLC) program. This means that farmers will no longer get money from
the government to help them when prices for the crops they grow go down or when
they do not harvest as much as they expected. [296]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to stop paying farmers
twice for price and revenue losses during the same year. This means that
farmers will get less money from the government to help them when prices for
the crops they grow go down or when they do not harvest as much as they
expected. [297]
c.
Project
2025 proposes to reduce how much the government pays to help farmers buy crop
insurance. This means that farmers will have to pay more to buy crop insurance
to protect themselves against bad weather or low prices. [297]
d.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate the Conservation Reserve Program. This means that
farmers will no longer get paid to not farm some of their land. [304]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to repeal the federal
sugar program. This means that sugar farmers will no longer be protected from
competition from foreign sugar growers. [296]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to oppose "climate-smart" agricultural practices. This
would mean that the U.S. would not support efforts to reduce agriculture's
contribution to climate change, potentially leading to increased greenhouse gas
emissions from the agricultural sector. [293]
g.
Project 2025 proposes to capping and then
phasing down the H-2A visa program: This could lead to higher labor costs for
farmers, which would make it more difficult for some farmers to stay in
business, especially those who operate on thin margins. This could also lead to
labor shortages, reduced food production, and higher food prices for consumers.
[611]
9.
Federal Law Enforcement
a.
After the abuses of J. Edgar Hoover came to
light, federal law was amended to prevent the Director of the FBI from serving
for more than ten years. This proposal
is intended to eliminate the FBI Director’s ten-year maximum term of office
that was enacted following the 1972 death of J. Edgar Hoover and the
revelations that preceded his passing. Equally important, the proposal would
take the FBI out of the Department of Justice where, under the supervision and
control of law-enforcement professionals, it currently serves as the
Department’s principal investigative office. Worse, it would place the FBI
under the direct control of a political office-holder with all of the potential
for political machinations that would bring, and, in light of the suggestion
that the change await the next ‘conservative Administration,’ perhaps is
intended to bring.
b.
Project 2025 proposes to make Director of FBI directly accountable to
the President: The actual words
from Project 2025 with reference to this point are: (Page 552) Page 552): “The Director of the
FBI must remain politically accountable to the President in the same manner as
the head of any other federal department or agency. To ensure prompt political
accountability and to rein in perceived or actual abuses, the next conservative
Administration should seek a legislative change to align the FBI Director’s
position with those of all other major departments and agencies.”
10. Food
Assistance: major cuts to SNAP and
additional red tape for applicants
a.
SNAP: Project
2025 proposes cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
This means that many people who need help buying food would no longer get money
from the government to buy food. [298]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to require states to
implement work requirements for SNAP recipients. This means that people who are
able to work would have to get a job or do some type of work in order to get
food stamps. [299]
c.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate broad-based categorical eligibility. This would make
it harder for people to get food stamps because they would have to meet more
requirements to be eligible. [300]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the
heat-and-eat loophole. This would make it harder for people to get the full
amount of food stamps they are eligible for. [301]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to reform the Thrifty Food
Plan. This could lead to people getting less money in food stamps because the
government would change how it calculates the amount of money people need to
buy food. [300]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate CEP. This would mean that some children who
currently get free school meals would have to pay for them. [303]
11. Freedom
of Speech
a. Enable use of military against
protesters (not verified, denied by Heritage Foundation but purportedly
Executive Orders pre-drafted for President to sign include use of Insurrection
Act to enable President to call up military to quell protests.) Further, Donald
Trump has promoted this in his speeches.
b. Project
2025 proposes to limit
online platforms' ability to moderate content. This will lead to a
proliferation of hate speech and misinformation. [849]
c.
Project
2025 proposes to remove protections for online platforms from being held
legally responsible for user-generated content on their sites. This will cause
these online platforms to either shut down or implement strict moderation and
censorship. [847]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency's (CISA) involvement in countering misinformation and
disinformation. This means that the government will abandon its role as
"the arbiter of truth" and the American people will be more exposed
to lies and manipulation. [155]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to prohibit the FBI from
engaging in activities related to combating the spread of misinformation and
disinformation by Americans. This means that the government will abandon it's
role as "the arbiter of truth" and the American people will be more
exposed to lies and manipulation. [550]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to ban pornography, imprison the people who produce and
distribute it, shut down the telecom and tech firms that facilitate its spread,
and register as sex offenders any educators and public librarians who purvey
it. This sounds great, except there’s no definition of what is
“pornography.” Some extremists (as just
one example) advocate labeling any reference to LGBT as “pornography.” Overly broad categories threaten to curtail
freedom of speech, create a chilling effect on artists, writers and filmmakers,
enable disproportionate punishment for non-violent offenses, stifle innovation,
lead to job losses and economic disruption, and lead to censorship and moral
policing. [5]
12. Gun
Rights: representations have been made
that Project 2025 includes this, but I have not found it.
13. Health
Care
a.
Project 2025 proposes to promote a free market for Health Care: reform U.S. healthcare into a free market mostly
regulated by states. This means patients will need to develop more healthcare
expertise, rural areas may be underserved, low-income and vulnerable
populations may be underserved, sicker patients may pay more, the system may be
ill-equipped to handle public health emergencies, and it could lead to an
overall decline in quality and safety standards. [450]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to cut the
Affordable Care Act. This could lead to loss of coverage, reduced
consumer protections and an increased financial burden for Americans. [469]
c.
Project 2025 proposes to Reduce
Funding for Public Health by splitting the CDC and reducing its funding.
This could weaken the nation's ability to respond to public health emergencies
and address critical health issues. [452]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to prevent the CDC from
advising that school children should be masked or vaccinated, saying such
decisions should be left to parents and medical providers. This could lead to
increased disease outbreaks and a resurgence of preventable diseases like
measles and whooping cough. [454]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to tax employers on
workplace benefits that exceed $12,000 per worker annually. This would lead to
employers cutting back on these benefits and workers paying more taxes, and
would be damaging for millions of families who rely on one working adult's
employer-provided health insurance to cover dependents, such as children. [697]
f.
If this tax was enacted, it is estimated that
just based on health insurance benefits in 2022 alone: (1) More than 15 million
workers would see their benefits taxed. (2) Their taxes would rise by more than
$12 billion if employers shifted away from benefits to other forms of taxable
compensation. https://epiaction.org/2024/08/14/the-little-known-project-2025-tax-on-employee-benefits/
g.
See Medicaid
h.
See Medicare
14. LGBTQIA+
a.
Project 2025 proposes to gut
protections for the LGBTQ+ community, including eliminating the Gender
Policy Council. This means that the government will no longer try to protect
people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. [62]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to stop
workplace oversight: restrict the application of the Supreme Court’s
Bostock v. Clayton County decision. This will restrict workplace protections
against sex discrimination that were extended to LGBTQ+ employees. [584]
c. Project 2025 proposes to rescind regulations prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex
characteristics. This means that the government will no longer try to protect
citizens who do not conform to Project 2025's notion of "normal".
[584]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the terms sexual orientation and
gender identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender, gender equality,
gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive
health, and reproductive rights among others out of every federal rule, agency
regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists.
This means that these identities, concepts and topics will be
"erased" in education, healthcare and cultural institutions and no
longer protected or supported by government. [4]
e.
Military: Project 2025 proposes to reverse
policies that allow transgender individuals to serve in the military. [104]
f.
Medicaid / Medicare: Project
2025 proposes to restrict transgender health care in Medicare and Medicaid
[474]
g.
Project 2025 proposes to deny transgender health
care or abortion access to service members using public funds. [104]
h. Project 2025 proposes to end anti-discrimination rules
based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This will significantly weaken
anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in healthcare settings.
[495]
i.
Project 2025 proposes to expand religious
exemptions that will allow businesses and organizations to discriminate against
LGBTQ+ individuals based on religious beliefs. This will limiting access to
services and opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals. [586]
j.
Project 2025 proposes to restrict adoption and
foster care by supporting faith-based adoption agencies that may discriminate
against LGBTQ+ couples. This will limit their ability to adopt or foster
children. [477]
k.
Project 2025 proposals will embolden Anti-LGBTQ+
sentiment and create a more hostile environment for LGBTQ+ individuals. This
could lead to increased harassment, violence, and discrimination in housing,
employment, and public accommodations. [451]
15. Low-income
families
a.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate food stamps
for people who do not have a job or are not looking for a job. This means that
people who are out of work and do not have enough money to buy food will not be
able to get help from the government. [299] (Not everyone who is out of work is
employable or can get a job.)
b.
Project 2025 proposes to reduce access to public
housing through major program changes including elimination of housing for
families that include a non-US citizen, placing time limits on public housing,
and forcing recipients of public housing to participate in the workforce. [503
et seq]
c.
Project 2025 proposals will make it harder for
people to get affordable health care. See Healthcare, Medicaid, Medicare
d.
Project 2025 proposals will make it harder for underprivileged
people and those who have been discriminated against to get a good education.
[482] [327]
e.
See Taxes
16. Medicaid
a.
Project 2025 proposes to shrink the scope and scale of Medicaid.
This could result in millions of Americans losing access to affordable
healthcare, potentially leading to a decline in overall health outcomes. [466]
b.
Project
2025 proposes to make it easier for states to kick people off Medicaid. This
means that people could lose their health care if they don't follow all the
rules. [467]
c.
Project
2025 proposes to let states make people work to get Medicaid. This means that
people who can't find a job could lose their health care. [468]
d.
Project
2025 proposes to let states charge people more for Medicaid. This means that
people will have to pay more for their health care. [468]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to let states put time
limits on how long people can be on Medicaid. This means that people could lose
their health care after a certain amount of time, even if they still need it.
[468]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to make it harder for people to get on Medicaid if they have some
money saved up. This means that people who have saved some money might not be
able to get health care from the government. [467]
g.
Project
2025 proposes to allow states to charge premiums and co-pays to people who
receive Medicaid. This means that many people who are currently eligible for
Medicaid would have to pay for some of their health care costs. [468]
h.
Project 2025 proposes to allow states to
eliminate certain benefits from Medicaid. [468]
i.
Project 2025 proposes to allow states to use
Medicaid funds to provide private health insurance. [468]
j.
Project
2025 proposes to cap Medicaid payments to states without regard for their
actual spending needs on health and long-term care. This could force states to
outright deny coverage of particular benefits, especially costly services such
as long-term care. [466]
17. Medicare
a. Under Project 2025, Medicare
Advantage plans (privatization of Medicare) would become the default option.
b. Medicare Advantage plans can
require prior authorizations, making it harder for patients to access care, and
they can restrict enrollees' choices of physicians, hospitals, and treatments.
[465]
c.
Project 2025 proposes to repeal the drug price negotiation program in
Medicare. This program lowers the cost of prescription drugs, and
getting rid of it will likely mean that prescription drugs will cost more.
[465]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to repeal the Inflation
Reduction Act. This law lowers the cost of prescription drugs for people on
Medicare, and getting rid of it will likely mean that prescription drugs will
cost more. [465]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the Medicare
Shared Savings Program. This program helps to lower the cost of Medicare, and
getting rid of it will likely mean that Medicare will cost more. [465]
f.
Project 2025 proposes to reduce the government
share in the catastrophic tier of Medicare Part D. This means that people on
Medicare will have to pay more for their prescription drugs. [465]
g.
Project 2025 proposes to restructure 340B drug
subsidies toward beneficiaries rather than hospitals. This program helps
hospitals provide lower-cost drugs to low-income patients, and changing it
could mean that those patients will have to pay more for their medications.
[465]
18. Overtime
a.
Project 2025 proposes to raise the overtime pay threshold. This
means that fewer people will qualify for overtime pay. [592]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to allow employers and
workers to agree that overtime will be calculated over two weeks or four weeks
instead of one week. This means that if you work a lot of extra hours one week,
but then work fewer hours the next week, your boss might not have to pay you
overtime if the total number of hours you worked over the two weeks or four
weeks is less than 80. [592]
c.
Project 2025 proposes to change the rules about
overtime pay for people who work from home. This means that if you work from
home, your boss might not have to pay you overtime unless you work more than 10
hours in a day. [589]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to make it easier for
businesses to classify workers as independent contractors. This means that if
you are classified as an independent contractor, you will not be eligible for
overtime pay. [591]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to allow businesses to not
pay overtime for certain benefits they provide to workers, such as help paying
for school or childcare. [592]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to weaken
unions, including potentially eliminating public sector unions
altogether. Unions are often instrumental in negotiating and protecting
overtime pay provisions in collective bargaining agreements. [599] [82]
19. Public
Transportation
a.
Project 2025 proposes to reduce the federal
government's role in funding public transportation. This means that there will
be less money to build and run buses, trains, and subways. [636]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the Capital Investment Grants program.
This program provides money for new public transportation projects, so
eliminating it would mean that there would be less money for new projects.
[635]
c.
Project
2025 proposes to allow transit agencies to reduce worker pay and benefits.
[635]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to stop using money from
the Highway Trust Fund for public transportation. This would mean that there
would be less money for public transportation. [636]
e.
Project 2025 proposes to require new public
transportation projects to meet strict economic standards that would make it
harder to get funding for new projects, especially in areas that are not
already well-served by public transportation. [635]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to allow
states to use federal transportation money for any purpose they want.
This means that states could choose to spend the money on things other than
public transportation, such as roads or bridges. [621]
20. Reproductive
Rights
a.
From Page 6: “[C]onservatives should
gratefully celebrate the greatest pro-family win in a generation: overturning
Roe v. Wade, a decision that for five decades made a mockery of our
Constitution and facilitated the deaths of tens of millions of unborn children.
But the Dobbs decision is just the beginning. Conservatives in the states and
in Washington, including in the next conservative Administration, should push
as hard as possible to protect the unborn in every jurisdiction in America. In
particular, the next conservative President should work with Congress to enact
the most robust protections for the unborn that Congress will support while
deploying existing federal powers to protect innocent life and vigorously
complying with statutory bans on the federal funding of abortion. Conservatives
should ardently pursue these pro-life and pro-family policies while recognizing
the many women who find themselves in immensely difficult and often tragic
situations and the heroism of every choice to become a mother. Alternative
options to abortion, especially adoption, should receive federal and state
support.”
b.
Project 2025’s proposal for a universal ban on abortion would
not only take the family-planning decision away from women and places it in the
hands of the state but would similarly control other reproductive health
decisions.
c.
Project 2025 promotes using the Comstock Act (Page 459) to “Stop
promoting or approving mail-order abortions in violation of long-standing
federal laws that prohibit the mailing and interstate carriage of abortion
drugs.”
d.
Comstock’s law purports to prohibit mailing
anything that could be used in an abortion – even ordinary surgical supplies
such as gloves and sutures. For more than 100 years, however, the courts and
the Justice Department have consistently ruled that the law does not apply to
mailing items for a lawful purpose.
e.
Project 2025 would reverse this understanding
and prosecute people if they mailed FDA-approved abortion medicines, even to
states where abortion is legal. This would effectively institute a national
abortion ban, depriving women of their rights under state law. It also raises
the specter of a President resurrecting and reinterpreting other laws to
destroy freedoms.
f.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate the requirement that health insurance plans cover
birth control. This means that women may have to pay more for birth control.
[483]
g.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate coverage for male contraceptives such as condoms.
This means that men may have to pay more for birth control. [485]
h.
Project
2025 proposals would make it harder for women to get birth control through
Title X family planning clinics. This means some women might have fewer choices
for where to get birth control. [491]
i.
Project
2025 proposes to allow states to require Title X family planning clinics to
provide information about the importance of marriage. This means that some
women may feel pressured to get married in order to receive family planning
services, including contraception. [480]
j.
Project
2025 proposes to allow religious employers to refuse to provide contraception
coverage to their employees. This means that some women may have to pay out of
pocket for contraception if their employer objects to it on religious grounds.
[483]
k.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the
week-after-pill from the contraceptive mandate as a potential abortifacient.
This would make it harder for women to get emergency contraception, which can
help prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. [485]
l.
Project
2025 proposes to increase medical requirements to get abortion pills, even in
states where abortion is legal. [458]
m. Project 2025 proposes to stop promoting or approving
mail-order abortions. This would make it harder for women to get abortion
pills, even in states where abortion is legal. [459]
n.
Project
2025 proposes to reverse its approval of chemical abortion drugs. This would
make it much harder for women to get abortions, especially in states where
abortion is illegal. [458]
o. Project 2025 proposes to prohibit abortion travel
funding. This would make it harder for women to get abortions, especially those
who live in states where abortion is illegal. [471]
p. Project 2025 proposes to prohibit Planned
Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds. This would make it harder for women
to get affordable health care, including cancer screenings and contraception.
[471]
q.
Project
2025 proposes to withdraw Medicaid funds for states that require abortion
insurance or that discriminate in violation of the Weldon Amendment. This would
punish states that try to protect women's access to abortion care. [472]
r.
Project
2025 proposes to rewrite the ACA abortion separate payment regulation. This
would make it harder for women to get insurance coverage for abortion care.
[473]
s.
Project
2025 proposes to audit Hyde Amendment compliance. This could lead to cuts in
funding for programs that provide health care to low-income women, including
those that provide abortion care. [473]
t.
Project
2025 proposes to promote
"fetal personhood" from the moment of conception. This would mean
abortion would no longer be considered healthcare, women presenting with
miscarriages could become subject to criminal investigation, and IVF (In Vitro
Fertilization) becomes illegal because it involves destruction of unused
embryos. [450]
u. Project 2025 proposes to reverse guidance that
enables hospitals receiving Medicare funds to perform emergency abortions. This
would enable hospitals in pro-life states to refuse to perform abortions, even
when it is necessary to save a woman's life. [473]
v. Project 2025 proposes to collect data on
abortion, including requiring states to report detailed information about
abortion procedures and patients. This could be used to stigmatize abortion and
create a chilling effect on providers, further limiting access to care. [455]
21. Rural
Issues
a.
Project 2025 proposes to abolish the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). This would make it harder for people to get
life-saving forecasts and information about hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heat
waves, and other extreme weather events [674]
b.
Project
2025 proposes to raise the
FEMA threshold for public assistance and end Small Business Administration
(SBA) direct lending such as disaster loans, which help businesses and
homeowners recover from declared disasters. This would leave communities with
fewer resources to rebuild after disasters like catastrophic hurricanes and
tornadoes. [153] [750] [754]
c.
Project
2025 proposes to erode public education and eliminate the Department of
Education. Project 2025 suggests phasing out federal funding for public
education. This would mean that states would have to pay for all of their
schools, which could result in less money for schools in poorer or less
populated areas. [5] [319] [351]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to significantly restrict the free school lunch
program. This would mean that many children may not have enough to eat
at school. Some children who currently get free school meals would have to pay
for them. [303]
e.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate the Head Start program. This would mean that many
children from low-income families would not have access to preschool. [482]
f.
Project
2025 proposes to re-evaluate regulation for baby formula. This could lead to
unsafe baby formula. [302]
g.
Project
2025 proposes to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds
PBS and NPR. This would remove a vital source of educational and cultural
programming, especially in rural and underserved communities where commercial
options are limited. [246]
h.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate federal rules that protect children from working in
mines, meatpacking plants and other dangerous workplaces. This could lead to
exploitation, interference with education, normalization of child labor, and an
increased risk of injury or death for children. [595]
i.
Project
2025 proposes to make it harder for students to get financial aid for college.
This would mean that fewer students from low-income families would be able to
go to college. [327]
j.
Project 2025 proposes to attempt to eliminate
farm subsidies like the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price
Loss Coverage (PLC) program. This means that farmers will no longer get money
from the government to help them when prices for the crops they grow go down or
when they do not harvest as much as they expected. [296]
k.
Project
2025 proposes to reduce how much the government pays to help farmers buy crop
insurance. This means that farmers will have to pay more to buy crop insurance
to protect themselves against bad weather or low prices. [297]
l.
Project
2025 proposes capping and then phasing down the H-2A visa program: This could
lead to higher labor costs for farmers, which would make it more difficult for
some farmers to stay in business, especially those who operate on thin margins.
This could also lead to labor shortages, reduced food production, and higher
food prices for consumers. [611]
m.
Project 2025 proposes cuts and work requirements
to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This means that many
people who need help buying food would no longer get money from the government
to buy food. [298] [299]
n.
Project
2025 proposes to shrink the scope and scale of Medicaid. This could result in
millions of Americans losing access to affordable healthcare, potentially
leading to a decline in overall health outcomes. [466]
o.
Project
2025 proposes to let states make people work to get Medicaid. This means that
people who can't find a job could lose their health care. [468]
p.
Project
2025 proposes to allow states to charge premiums and co-pays to people who
receive Medicaid. This means that many people who are currently eligible for
Medicaid would have to pay for some of their health care costs. [468]
q.
Project 2025 proposes to repeal the drug price
negotiation program in Medicare. This program lowers the cost of prescription
drugs, and getting rid of it will likely mean that prescription drugs will cost
more. [465]
r.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate the Medicare Shared Savings Program. This program
helps to lower the cost of Medicare, and getting rid of it will likely mean
that Medicare will cost more. [465]
s.
Project
2025 proposes to push more of the 33 million people enrolled in Original
Medicare towards Medicare Advantage by making it the "default enrollment
option". Medicare Advantage plans can require prior authorizations, making
it harder for patients to access care, and they can restrict enrollees' choices
of physicians and hospitals. [465]
t.
Project
2025 proposes to turn the U.S. healthcare into a free market mostly regulated
by states. Healthcare services would then be provided by companies whose whole
goal is to make a profit off you. This means patients will need to develop more
healthcare expertise, rural areas may be underserved, low-income and vulnerable
populations may be underserved, sicker patients may pay more, the system may be
ill-equipped to handle public health emergencies, and it could lead to an
overall decline in quality and safety standards. [450]
u.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate
the requirement that health insurance plans cover birth control and male
contraceptives such as condoms. [483] [485]
v.
Project
2025 proposes to make it harder for women to get birth control through Title X
family planning clinics. [491]
w.
Project
2025 would prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds. This
would make it harder for women to get affordable health care, including cancer
screenings and contraception. [471]
x.
Project
2025 promotes "fetal personhood" from the moment of conception. This results
in prioritization of fetal health as against maternal health when there is a
conflict, and it eliminates access to IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). [450]
y.
Project 2025 proposes to reverse guidance that
enables hospitals receiving Medicare funds to perform emergency abortions. This
would enable hospitals in pro-life states to refuse to perform abortions, even
when it is necessary to save a woman's life. [473]
z. Project 2025 proposes to tax employers on workplace
benefits that exceed $12,000 per worker annually. This would lead to employers
cutting back on these benefits and workers paying more taxes, and would be
damaging for millions of families who rely on one working adult's employer-provided
health insurance to cover dependents, such as children. [697]
aa. If
this tax was enacted, we estimate that just based on health insurance benefits
in 2022 alone: (1) More than 15 million workers would have seen their benefits
taxed. (2) Their taxes would have risen by more than $12 billion if employers
shifted away from benefits to other forms of taxable compensation. Link: https://epiaction.org/2024/08/14/the-little-known-project-2025-tax-on-employee-benefits/
bb. Project
2025 proposes to move from
the current 7 income tax brackets ranging from 10%-37% to a two bracket system
with flat rates of 15% and 30% (with 30% starting around the Social Security
wage base of $168,100) and eliminate most deductions, credits and exclusions.
Millions of low- and middle-class households would likely face significantly
higher taxes. [696]
cc. From
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/project-2025-tax-trump-economy-heritage-foundation-how-it-works/ : “He estimated that a middle-class family with two
children and an annual income of $100,000 would pay $2,600 in additional
federal income tax if they faced a 15% flat tax on their income due to the loss
of the 10% and 12% tax brackets. If the Child Tax Credit were also eliminated,
they would pay an additional $6,600 compared with today's tax system,” Duke
said.
dd. By
comparison, a married couple with two children and earnings of $5 million a
year would enjoy a $325,000 tax cut, he estimated.
ee. "That
15% bracket is a very big deal in terms of raising taxes on middle-class
families," Duke said. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/project-2025-tax-trump-economy-heritage-foundation-how-it-works/
ff.
Project 2025 proposes a consumption tax, such as
a national sales tax. This means that everything you buy will have an
additional tax on it. [698]
gg.
Project
2025 raises the overtime pay threshold. This means that fewer people will
qualify for overtime pay. [592]
hh. Project 2025 proposes to let bosses decide if
workers are employees or contractors. This means that bosses could call workers
contractors even if they are really employees, which would mean they don't have
to give them benefits like health insurance and paid time off. [591]
ii.
Project
2025 makes it harder for workers to form unions. [602]
jj.
Project
2025 proposes to allow
states to opt out of federal labor laws. This means that states could
pass laws that allow employers not to comply with federal laws that protect
workers. [605]
kk.
Project
2025 proposes to reduce the size and scope of the EPA and eliminate or weaken
various environmental regulations. This means that companies will be able to
pollute more, which will make the air and water dirtier and could make people
sick. [420]
ll.
Project
2025 proposes to allow more pollution from cars and trucks. This means that the
air will be dirtier, which could make it harder for people to breathe and could
cause more people to get sick. [628]
mm.
Project 2025 proposes to make it easier to build
roads, build pipelines, log national forests, and drill for oil and gas on
public lands. This could destroy rural lands and wildlife habitats, and create
more pollution [61] [308] [521] [533]
nn. Project
2025 proposes to subject military promotions to White House review. This would
apply subjective, ill-defined criteria to promotions, erode meritocracy in the
military, weaken military effectiveness, and politicize the U.S. military. [52]
oo. Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Accountability and Whistleblower
Protection (OAWP). This means it will be harder for veterans to report problems
at the VA. [653]
pp. Project 2025 proposes to eliminate many of the
health conditions that qualify veterans for disability benefits: Project 2025
additionally criticizes the 1991 Agent Orange Act and the 2022 PACT Act, which
aid veterans exposed to toxic substances. This will greatly restrict disabled
veteran's access to life-sustaining benefits. [643] [649]
qq. Project 2025 proposes to make it easier for
the President to fire government workers who are not political appointees. This
would give the President more power over the people who work for the government
and make it harder for them to do their jobs without worrying about being fired
for political reasons. [80]
rr.
Project 2025 proposes to privatize a number of
government services. This subjects our services to companies whose whole goal
is to make a profit off you. This has not worked out well in the past, and
there is no reason to believe that it will in the future. [83]
22. Social
Security: The Project 2025 document does
not cover this topic. But here are relevant resources: The Project 2025
document does not cover this topic. But here are relevant resources:
23. House
Republican budget calls for raising the retirement age for Social Security
24. NBC
News
25. The
House Republican Study Committee Budget Proposes Harsh Changes to Social
Security
26. The
Center for American Progress
27. Days
After Trump Calls for Social Security Cuts, Congressional Republicans Release
Plan to Slash Benefits by $1.5 Trillion
28. Social
Security Works
29. House
Republican Budget Plans Would Cut Social Security Benefits
30. House
Committee on the Budget
31. The
Heritage Foundation is gunning for your Social Security
32. Media
Matters for America
33. Social
Security Administration funding cuts a disservice to Americans
34. The
Hill
a.
House Republican budget calls for raising the
retirement age for Social Security: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republican-budget-raise-age-retirement-social-security-medicare-rcna144341
b.
The House Republican Study Committee Budget
Proposes Harsh Changes to Social Security:
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-house-republican-study-committee-budget-proposes-harsh-changes-to-social-security/
c.
Days After Trump Calls for Social Security Cuts,
Congressional Republicans Release Plan to Slash Benefits by $1.5 Trillion: https://socialsecurityworks.org/2024/03/20/days-after-trump-calls-for-social-security-cuts-congressional-republicans-release-plan-to-slash-benefits-by-1-5-trillion/
d.
House Republican Budget Plans Would Cut Social
Security Benefits: https://democrats-budget.house.gov/house-republican-budget-plans-cut-social-security-benefits
e.
The Heritage Foundation is gunning for your
Social Security: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/heritage-foundation-gunning-your-social-security
f.
Social Security Administration funding cuts a
disservice to Americans: https://thehill.com/opinion/4794442-republican-cuts-social-security/
g.
35. Taxes
a.
Project 2025 would introduce a two bracket system with flat
rates of 15% and 30% (with 30% starting around the Social Security wage base of
$168,100) and eliminate most deductions, credits and exclusions. Millions of
low- and middle-class households would likely face significantly higher taxes.
[696]
b.
From the source CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/project-2025-tax-trump-economy-heritage-foundation-how-it-works/
i.
He estimated that a middle-class family with two
children and an annual income of $100,000 would pay $2,600 in additional
federal income tax if they faced a 15% flat tax on their income due to the loss
of the 10% and 12% tax brackets. If the Child Tax Credit were also eliminated,
they would pay an additional $6,600 compared with today's tax system, Duke
said.
ii.
By comparison, a married couple with two
children and earnings of $5 million a year would enjoy a $325,000 tax cut, he
estimated.
iii.
"That 15% bracket is a very big deal in
terms of raising taxes on middle-class families," Duke said.
c.
Project 2025 proposes to reduce the corporate tax rate even further to 18%. Donald
Trump's 2017 tax law cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, which meant
companies paid $240 billion less in taxes from 2018 to 2021 than they would
have paid. This further reduction would lead to even higher corporate profits
and even lower government revenue to pay for services for the American people,
while also increasing the deficit. [696]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to reduce the capital gains rate
from 20% to 15%. This would disproportionately benefit the wealthy and
lead to a loss of government revenue. [696]
e.
Project
2025 proposes a consumption tax, such as a national sales tax. This means that
everything you buy will have an additional tax on it. [698]
f.
Project 2025 proposes to tax employers on workplace
benefits that exceed $12,000 per worker annually.
i.
This would lead to employers cutting back on
these benefits and workers paying more taxes, and would be damaging for
millions of families who rely on one working adult's employer-provided health
insurance to cover dependents, such as children. [697].
ii.
If this tax were enacted, we estimate that just
based on health insurance benefits in 2022 alone: (1) More than 15 million
workers would have seen their benefits taxed. (2) Their taxes would have risen
by more than $12 billion if employers shifted away from benefits to other forms
of taxable compensation. Link: https://epiaction.org/2024/08/14/the-little-known-project-2025-tax-on-employee-benefits/
36. Unions
a.
Project
2025 proposes to require worker centers
to file financial disclosures with the government. This could make it harder
for worker centers to organize and advocate for workers. [601]
b.
Project 2025 proposes to rescind the persuader rule.
This means that employers will be able to hire consultants to discourage
workers from forming a union without having to tell the government about it.
[602]
c.
Project 2025 proposes to let
bosses decide if workers are employees or contractors. This means that bosses
could call workers contractors even if they are really employees, which would
mean they don't have to give them benefits like health insurance and paid time
off. [591]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to make
it harder for workers to form unions. This means that it will be harder for
workers to join together to form a union and fight for better pay and working
conditions. [602]
e.
Project
2025 proposes to allow states to opt out of federal labor laws.
This means that states could pass laws that make it harder for workers to form
a union or make unions weaker. [605]
f.
Project 2025 proposes to get
rid of unions for security workers in the government. This means that security
workers in the government, like TSA agents, will no longer have a union to
protect them. [159]
g.
Project
2025 proposes to strengthen "management rights" and
narrow the scope of issues that are subject to collective bargaining for public
sector unions. This could mean less union influence over working
conditions, scheduling, and other workplace matters. [81]
h.
Project 2025 proposes to narrow
the definition of activities that are protected from employer retaliation under
the National Labor Relations Act. This could make it riskier for workers to
engage in union organizing or other collective action. [601]
i.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate
the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which incentivizes a career in
public service. This would reduce the incentive to go into public service,
exacerbate student debt burden for public service workers, reduce diversity and
representation in public service and lead to a "brain drain" from the
public sector. [332]
37. Veterans:
a.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate the Department of Homeland Security
and distribute its functions to other departments: This could negatively affect
veterans by making it harder for the government to coordinate services for
veterans, such as those related to immigration, naturalization, and border
protection. Many veterans rely on DHS for support in these areas. [133]
b.
Project
2025 proposes to eliminate the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP). This means
it will be harder for veterans to report problems at the VA. [653]
c.
Many
veterans rely on FHA loans to buy their first homes. Project 2025 proposes to
restrict eligibility for first-time homebuyers by changing the Federal Housing
Administration's statutory restriction of single-family housing mortgage
insurance to first-time homebuyers. This could negatively affect veterans by
making it harder for them to buy homes. [510]
d.
Project 2025 proposes to eliminate many of the health conditions that
qualify veterans for disability benefits: Project 2025 additionally
criticizes the 1991 Agent Orange Act and the 2022 PACT Act, which aid veterans
exposed to toxic substances. This will greatly restrict disabled veteran's
access to life-sustaining benefits. [643] [649]
e.
Project 2025 puts at risk the jobs of the nearly
637,000 veterans working for the federal government by making it easier to fire
federal employees, disbanding agencies like the Department of Education and
Department of Homeland Security and privatizing the TSA: This will jeopardize
the livelihoods of veterans and undermine the effectiveness of the government.
[80] [133] [319]
38. Voting
Rights: Project 2025 does not address
voting rights, but here are some sources to learn the Republican position:
a.
Wikipedia entry on Republican efforts to
restrict voting rights since 2020: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_efforts_to_restrict_voting_following_the_2020_presidential_election
b.
Article “We're defending the accessibility,
integrity, and competitiveness of American elections” https://accountability.gop/rvr/
c.
Article: “Under the Radar, Right-Wing Push to
Tighten Voting Laws Persists” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/us/politics/voting-laws-restrictions-republicans.html
d.
Dark money groups push election denialism on US
state officials: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/05/heritage-foundation-election-voting-rights-republican-states?mibextid=Zxz2cZ
e.
Column: Why are Republicans making it harder for
some people to vote? It’s not just partisanship https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-05-26/voter-suppression-race-youth-election-2024-donald-trump-georgia-supreme-court-robin-abcarian
39. Other
Proposals
a.
abolish the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Because the authors believe that it "has become one of the main drivers of
the climate change alarm industry", even though the NOAA provides
life-saving information about hurricanes, heat waves, and other extreme weather
events, which are worsening. [674]
b.
privatize a number of government
services. This subjects our services to companies whose whole goal is to
make a profit off you. This has not worked out well in the past, and there is
no reason to believe that it will in the future. [83]
c.
politicize science. This
could hinder scientific progress and innovation. [460] [674]
d.
Reduce regulations for baby formula. [302]
e.
repeal the USDA Dietary
Guidelines which focus on human health as well as the health of the
planet. This could lead to dietary choices that lead to disease for humans and
climate change for the planet. [309]
f.
promote policies that favor
values and institutions of select Christian sects. This will marginalize
other religious groups and undermine the separation of church and state. [4]
[560] [581] [589]
g.
promote policies that reinforce
traditional gender roles. This will limit opportunities for women and
LGBTQ+ individuals. [451] [481]
h.
emphasize "traditional
family values" and the importance of marriage and nuclear families.
This framing often underlies arguments against abortion and comprehensive sex
education, suggesting a push to limit reproductive choices and control women's
bodies. [451] [489]
i.
oppose sex education and
advocate for abstinence-only approaches. This would restrict access to
accurate information about contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and
healthy relationships, potentially leading to higher rates of unintended
pregnancies and STIs. [477]
j.
defund the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR. This would remove a vital
source of educational and cultural programming, especially in rural and
underserved communities where commercial options are limited. [246]
k.
subject
military promotions to White House review. This would apply subjective,
ill-defined criteria to promotions, erode meritocracy in the military, weaken
military effectiveness, and politicize the U.S. military. [52]
l.
eliminate
federal rules that protect children from working in mines, meatpacking plants
and other dangerous workplaces. This could lead to exploitation, interference
with education, normalization of child labor, and an increased risk of injury
or death for children. [595]
m.
eliminate the Public Service
Loan Forgiveness Program, which incentivizes a career in public service.
This would reduce the incentive to go into public service, exacerbate student
debt burden for public service workers, reduce diversity and representation in
public service and lead to a "brain drain" from the public sector.
[332]
n.
reject the notion of universal
day care in favor of incentivizing "home-based" childcare solutions.
This would make affordable child care harder to get and disproportionately hurt
low-income, working families. [486]
o.
raise the FEMA threshold for
public assistance and end Small Business Administration (SBA) direct lending
such as disaster loans, which help businesses and homeowners recover
from declared disasters. This would leave communities with fewer resources to
rebuild after disasters like catastrophic hurricanes and tornadoes. [153] [750]
[754]
p.
lead to
an increase in racial profiling and discrimination. Project 2025's focus on
border security and immigration enforcement could lead to increased racial
profiling and discrimination against Latinos, immigrants and other people of
color. [135] [140]
SOURCES
A really good one, with links: https://www.25and.me/?topics=
In depth, undercover video with key players discussing their
agenda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQjdwsZhE_Q
Easy, schoolhouse rock style video you can share with your
friends: https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/project-2025-explained-in-schoolhouse-rock-style/
Snopes discusses what’s in it: https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/07/11/project-2025-explained/
Podcast episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6CazgPSsupCsSllpWs5hcx
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/us/politics/voting-laws-restrictions-republicans.html
https://epiaction.org/2024/08/14/the-little-known-project-2025-tax-on-employee-benefits/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/project-2025-tax-trump-economy-heritage-foundation-how-it-works/
