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What Does Project 2025 Say?

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On November 5, 2024, the United States Elected Donald J. Trump to a second term. The day after that, his allies gleefully admitted that Project 2025 was their – and his – agenda the entire time.

This is what we’re up against.

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On November 5, 2024, the United States Elected Donald J. Trump to a second term. The day after that, his allies gleefully admitted that Project 2025 was their – and his – agenda the entire time.

This is what we’re up against.

Check My Voter Registration
Register To Vote

Welcome!

You may be wondering who I am and why I’ve done this. Hi! my name is E.T. Parker. I’m the data scientist who read every word of Project 2025 and analyzed it. More about me here.

Here, I cite what Project 2025 actually says about the issues in their own words, add in some FAQs, and make it all easily shareable. (For raw quotes/brief context or to share direct quotes from Project 2025, Browse by Topic or Section. For quotes in context with interpretation, try the Contextual Analysis. Or, if you only have 5 minutes to learn something, start by reading just the homepage or try the Bite-Sized Briefs.)

This project is presented without ads and was not sponsored or paid for in any way. If you like it and find it valuable, please donate. Your kind donation will be used to keep the website online.

Read Project 2025 for Yourself

The above linked PDF is the document I’m working from for the purposes of this website. My cited page numbers match this document.

Visit the Project 2025 Website

Quick Statistics

920

Pages Long

30/38

Material Contributors who served in the Trump Administration (of those who merited bios.)* That’s 82%. 

271

Additional Contributors. Many of these served in the Trump administration as well.

54

Number of groups on the Heritage Foundation’s Advisory Board [more about that]

240

Number of times Donald Trump is mentioned by name. Or, approximately once every 3.8 pages.

91

Number of times the word “abortion” is used

27

Number of times the word “woke” is used

113

Topics covered.

671

Sources cited on this website to support my contextual analyses.

441

Quotes pulled from the source material.

439

Estimated number of minutes it would take an average person to read all of the contextual analyses presented here. Or, about 7.5 hours. (Based on the same average speed, you could read Project 2025 in about 20 hours, but probably not understand it fully in that amount of time.)

56.5

Estimated number of minutes it would take an average person read all 20 Bite-Sized Briefs.

* Spencer Chretien also served in the Trump administration, and is the associate director of Project 2025, but his bio was not included in the document. Additionally, Edwin J. Feulner is the author of the final section and a co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, but is not listed as a contributor.

"If you aren't angry about Project 2025, then you don't know enough about it."

The Other 98%

Well, What are they Actually Planning to DO? And What Makes it so Dangerous?

It’s important to articulate not only that Project 2025 would be disastrous and ruinous for the United States of America, but WHY that’s true, and what the results of their intended policies would actually be.

Make no mistake, a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for Project 2025. Trump has scrambled recently to distance himself verbally from what have proven to be deeply unpopular policies, but they’re still going to be his policies. 82% of the Material Contributors1 to Project 2025 served in the Trump administration, and plan to again, should he be elected. The plan was written FOR Trump.

Don’t believe Trump when he tells you he “knows nothing about it.” He’s mentioned BY NAME 240 times in 920 pages, an average of once every 3.8 pages.

But don’t take my word for it – take the word of the authors of Project 2025 themselves:

In an August 15, 2024 interview2, former Trump cabinet member and Project 2025 contributor Russ Vought candidly said, when asked about Trump’s repeated denials of any connection with Project 2025, “I see what he’s doing is just very, very consciously distancing himself from a brand,” Vought said. “It’s interesting, he’s in fact not even opposing himself to a particular policy.”

Vought went on to say he had personally talked to Trump in recent months and received at least one personal “assignment” from him after he left office. He noted that the former president has “been at our organization, he’s raised money for our organization, he’s blessed it … he’s very supportive3 of what we do.”

Project 2025 Editor and Former Director Paul Dans, who served as chief of staff at the US Office of Personnel Management during the Trump administration where he served as a liaison between the agency and the White House, told a gathering of conservative broadcasters earlier this year in Nashville that he intended to work for Trump again if he wins.

He has also assured Trump’s supporters that Project 2025 would become a reality if the former president returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In June 2024, he told former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast that Project 2025 was “gonna be a D-Day invasion plan” and urged listeners to “flood the zone with us.”

“We’re going to make this happen under President Trump,” Dans said. “And this is ultimately his direction and his team’s direction.” [source]4 

In a July 29, 2024 radio interview on WFEA5, Project 2025 editor Steven Groves described Project 2025 as a “conservative think tank”, the purpose of which is to make “policy recommendations to the next conservative President; in this case, President Trump.”

“Trump supports Project 20256. The facts are irrefutable. It was authored by the Heritage Foundation – an organization Trump partnered with during his presidency. Dozens of his former employees helped draft the document, framing out what they would do should Trump return to power. Former Trump official Paul Dans, who is one of the authors and worked until very recently7 at Heritage, describes himself as MAGA elite on X8. Incidentally, another of Trump’s former officials was caught on tape9 recently explaining to someone that the former president‘s current disavowal of Project 2025 is a ruse and that he is still fully committed to its goals.” Source: Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s former Communications Director10

“This is an agenda prepared by and for conservatives who will be ready on Day One of the next Administration to save our country from the brink of disaster.” – Kevin D. Roberts, Project 2025 Foreword, page 35, paragraph one.

Here are Project 2025’s authors – in their own words – telling undercover reporters that Trump is fully on board with their agenda:

Perhaps even more concerning is this: Donald Trump is 78 years old at the time of this writing (September 2024.) The odds of him surviving a second term are low, giving his running mate, J.D. Vance, a real shot at the Presidency.

Vance has NOT distanced himself even verbally from Project 2025, and has in fact praised it.

“Vance has deep ties to the Heritage Foundation, and in particular to Kevin Roberts, who has been president of the right-wing think tank since 2021 and is the architect of Project 2025. Vance has praised Roberts for helping to turn the organization “into the de facto institutional home of Trumpism” and has endorsed elements of Project 2025. Vance is also the author of the foreword to Roberts’s upcoming book, Dawn’s Early Light, which The New Republic has obtained in full even though the book’s publisher, HarperCollins’s Broadside Books, has apparently tried to suppress it amid the scrutiny of Project 2025 and Vance’s ties to Roberts.” [Source]27.

Said J.D. Vance in his Foreword: 

“Never before has a figure with Roberts’s depth and stature within the American Right tried to articulate a genuinely new future for conservatism,” Vance writes in his foreword. “The Heritage Foundation isn’t some random outpost on Capitol Hill; it is and has been the most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.” [Source]28

See also:

In fact, Steve Bannon at one point recommended installing J.D. Vance as the PRESIDENT31 of the Heritage Foundation.

Project 2025 Goals & Policy Proposals

These are presented in the order that they appear in the Project 2025 document. There is more (which you can find in the contextual analyses), but these are the “Big 96.”

    1. Dismantle the government as we know it, removing experts from positions of power and installing Trump loyalists whose allegiance is to the Project 2025 agenda, not to the country. The authors argue for removing the Congressional approval requirement for federal officials in top positions. The authors explicitly argue for removing checks and balances for the President by the other branches of government. This creates a de facto King/Dictator, which is what they want. More about that here and throughout this website – it’s one of their core tenets.
    2. Deregulate industry and promote additional fossil fuel consumption, to the point that it is almost designed to destroy the environment. In the Foreword, Kevin D. Roberts explicitly argues against doing anything to mitigate climate change, claiming it deprives humans of our ability to adapt. More about that here.
    3. Deport 11 million+ illegal immigrants, which would result in economic devastation, and the loss of not only the 7.1 million American jobs held by illegal immigrants, but an estimated 968,000 additional jobs held by Americans. More about that here.

 

  1. Disengage economically from China, which would result in costing US industry an estimated $1.5 trillion over the next decade and the loss of more than 100,000 American jobs. More about that here.
  2. Weaponize the Department of Justice (DOJ). In Section 1, Rick Dearborn advocates for circumventing traditional communication between the White House and the Attorney General, which would result in politicizing the DOJ. More about that here.
  3. Declare the President above the law. “When a new President takes office, he will need to decide expeditiously how to handle any major ongoing litigation or other pending legal matters that might present a challenge to his agenda.” (Project 2025, Section 1.1: White House Office, Rick Dearborn, page 60, paragraph 2.) More about that here. Dearborn additionally makes an explicit argument that White House Counsel should serve as the President’s personal attorneys, in service of his agenda (Project 2025, Section 1.1: White House Office, Rick Dearborn, page 59, paragraph 5.)
  4. Establish the United States as a Christian Nationalist ethno-state. This is in direct violation of The Establishment Clause and of our First Amendment rights. This appears in various forms throughout the document. More about that here.
  5. Discontinue climate change research. Russ Vought explicitly argues that the USGCRP be killed by executive order and “..if required, refuse to accept any USGCRP assessment prepared under the Biden Administration.” (Project 2025, Section 1.2: Executive Office of the President of the United States, Russ Vought, page 92, paragraph 1.) More about that here.
  6. Abolish the Gender Policy Council, which would eliminate age-appropriate sex education in schools, which studies have shown actually prevents child sex abuse, teen pregnancies, and more. (Project 2025, Section 1.2: Executive Office of the President of the United States, Russ Vought, page 94, paragraph 3.) More about that here.
  7. Legalize Discrimination. We saw a lot of that already during the last Trump administration. Project 2025 aims to expand that. More about that here.
  8. Limit the ability for unions to protect workers’ rights. Project 2025 proposes limiting unions’ ability to protect workers in the areas of workers’ rights and discrimination laws. More about that here.
  9. Cut pay for government employees. The authors cite a “study” they conducted themselves which found that government workers were overpaid compared to similar private sector jobs by 30-40%. (Project 2025, Section 1.3: Central Personnel Agencies: Managing the Bureaucracy, Donald Devine, Dennis Dean Kirk, and Paul Dans, page 108, paragraph 3.)
    Fact Check: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, government workers earn about 27.54% less11 than private sector workers in similar jobs. The authors go on in the following pages to propose cutting retirement benefits for government employees as well.
  10. Eliminate the right of federal workers to unionize. “Congress should also consider whether public-sector unions are appropriate in the first place. The bipartisan consensus up until the middle of the 20th century held that these unions were not compatible with constitutional government. After more than half a century of experience with public-sector union frustrations of good government management, it is hard to avoid reaching the same conclusion.” (Project 2025, Section 1.3: Central Personnel Agencies: Managing the Bureaucracy, Donald Devine, Dennis Dean Kirk, and Paul Dans, page 114, paragraph 2.) More about that here.
  11. Federally sanction using the U.S. military to patrol the border. (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, page 124, paragraph 3) and (Project 2025, Section 3.8: Department of Justice, Gene Hamilton, page 587, paragraph 4) Historically, this has been an insanely costly way to legitimize discrimination and rampant human and civil rights abuses. More about that here and here.
  12. Nuclear proliferation. On page 126, paragraph 10 of Project 2025, Christopher Miller argues for expanding our nuclear arsenal, despite that fact that nuclear reductions make the world safer, and the United States currently owns and controls enough nuclear weaponry by itself to completely wipe out humanity nine times over. More about that here. Vastly increased military spending, given this point and point 14, should go without saying.
  13. End the tiered-review process. (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, page 133, paragraph 3.) This would result in the President being able to unilaterally sell or transfer arms to other nations without Congressional approval. More about that here.
  14. Force all public school students to take a military entrance exam. (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, pages 133 and 134.) More about that here.
  15. Kick anyone who requires ongoing medical treatment out of the military. (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, pages 135, paragraph 3.) This would include those undergoing treatment for HIV and “gender dysphoria”, were the two cases he mentions specifically in the document, but “requiring ongoing medical treatment” applies to people with cancer, lupus, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, pregnancy, and so much more. More about that here.
  16. Halt promotions for military officers who aren’t loyal to their agenda. Russ Vought touches on this (Project 2025, Section 1.2: Executive Office of the President of the United States, Russ Vought, page 84, paragraph 2) and Christopher Miller reiterates it – (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, pages 135, paragraph 7.) Miller explicitly states that disloyalty to the Project 2025 agenda would be seen as a threat to the United States. This is textbook fascism. More about that here.
  17. Ban abortion for members of the military, despite the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in the armed forces12. (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, pages 136, paragraph 3.) This is not only an infringement of freedom of choice, but a particularly insidious form of forcing women to give birth to their rapists’ children. More about that here.
  18. End federal oversight of election security. (Project 2025, Section 2.1: Department of Defense, Christopher Miller, pages 152, paragraph 2.) This is a recommendation Miller is making for USCYBERCOM. He’s arguing for ending federal oversight of election security. USCYBERCOM plays a critical role in protecting the U.S. from cyber threats, including those targeting elections. Removing its involvement could potentially increase the risk of cyberattacks on election infrastructure. It’s almost certainly going to result in weakening election security and integrity, which is 100% in the service of paving the way for a dictatorship. More about that here.
  19. Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). (Project 2025, Section 2.2: Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli, page 165, paragraph 1.) The impact of this is a lot to unpack. More about that here.
  20. Shift the burden of disaster preparedness and response to the states, which would lead to much higher state taxes and/or reduced services for the public, and significant disparity in the quality of response each state is capable of offering. (Project 2025, Section 2.2: Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli, page 167, paragraph 4.) More about that here.
  21. Withhold federal disaster aid from states which disagree with their agenda/do not support the regime. In Section 2.2: Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli explicitly argues for withholding federal disaster aid to states who refuse to allow the federal government to spy on its citizens (by providing them with access to the Department of Motor Vehicles records and voter registration databases.) More about that here.
  22. Eliminate T and U visas, which would significantly reduce the number of victims of human trafficking and other violent crimes the United States can help and protect. (Project 2025, Section 2.2: Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli, page 173, paragraph 4.) More about that here.
  23. Mandate using an estimated $21.6 BILLION in U.S. taxpayer money to build a border wall. (Project 2025, Section 2.2: Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli, page 179, paragraph 4.)
    No, Mexico isn’t going to pay for it. There is overwhelming evidence that walls are more performative than effective, and are also actively harmful. More about that here. The $21.6 Billion figure was estimated by the department of Homeland Security13, and there is evidence pointing to it being woefully short of the real cost.
  24. Punish U.S. citizens who are college students for decisions made by the states they live in. This proposal (Project 2025, Section 2.2: Department of Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli, pages 199, paragraph 5) includes denying federal financial aid to ALL students whose colleges provide avenues for in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, commonly referred to as “DREAMers”. There are requirements for this, of course, such as having graduated from a high school in that state and lived there for a number of years. More about that here. This would impact students in the following states: CA, CO, CT, FL, HI, IL, KS, MD, MI, MN, NB, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, RI, TX, UT, VA, WA, and Washington, DC.
  25. Purge government leadership on day one of the next administration and replace them with loyalists to Donald Trump. I touched on this in point #1 (seriously, it’s EVERYWHERE in this document), but you can’t get plainer than this: “No one in a leadership position on the morning of January 20 should hold that position at the end of the day.” (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 205, paragraph 4.) More about that here.
  26. Unilaterally freeze any/all ongoing treaties and agreements. (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 207, paragraph 3.) This is isolationism, and a horribly dangerous idea in terms of national security – it would instantly erode trust in the United States and potentially leave us vulnerable to health or security threats, depending on the type of agreement being suddenly canceled. More about that here.
  27. Strictly enforce the doctrine of reciprocity, which historically made the Great Depression worse14 because of high tariff policies and sparked trade wars15. (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 209, paragraph 3.) It is also a means of victimizing weaker nations by coersion. More about that here.
  28. Permanently deny refugees entry to the United States (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 210, paragraph 2.) Skinner is couching this as necessary while we “deal with the border”, but the intent is clear. More about that here.
  29. Cold War with China. (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 211, paragraph 5.) The results of a cold war on China, which Skinner explicitly mandates and says should be an executive mandate without Congressional approval, would cost U.S. industry billions over the next decade16, to say nothing of the additional risks, increased military spending required and the possibility of it spiraling into a more dangerous conflict. More about that here.
  30. Bring back the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Women’s Health and Protection of the Family. (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 224, paragraph 3.) This is a cleverly disguised argument for a federal abortion ban. More about that here.
  31. Restrict/destroy Freedom of the Press. “Make public diplomacy and international broadcasting serve American interests. (Project 2025, Section 2.3: Department of State, Kiron Skinner, page 226, paragraph 4.) More about that here and here.
  32. Relax background check standards for hiring government employees, up to and including the CIA. (Project 2025, Section 2.4: Intelligence Community, Dustin J. Carmack, page 244, paragraph 3). One wonders if this is because so many of Trump’s hand-picked cabinet members failed security clearance background checks (including his own daughter and son-in-law17), and Trump simply overrode the recommendation and granted them clearance regardless. He wouldn’t have to bother, if we simply bake poor standards into the system! More about that here.
  33. Reinstate the Mexico City Policy, also known as the “global gag rule.” This was originally reinstated by Trump, then rescinded by Biden. When the policy was in place under Trump, abortions in countries to whom we provide humanitarian aid rose by 40%18, despite the goal of the rule being to prevent them (apparently by banning them, banning sex education, contraceptives, et al.) Regardless of your personal opinion of abortion, it makes little sense to support a policy that results in more of them. More about that here.
  34. More Trump-era tariffs on China, the first round of which cost U.S. companies approximately $46 billion19 (which farmers bore the brunt of) and 245,000 jobs20, cost American consumers $51 billion in increased prices, and produced a net loss of $7.2 billion to the economy21. Not only does Project 2025 praise Trump’s tariffs, Trump himself has promised more of the same22 if he gets re-elected. More about that here.
  35. Shut down the department of education. (Project 2024, Section 3: The General Welfare, page 317, paragraph 4.) They argue for a complete shuttering, which would eliminate Title I within a decade, eliminate funding for special education, eliminate Pell Grants, and reduce the ability of the government to enforce civil rights laws in schools. More about that here. “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” (Project 2025, Section 3.2: Department of Education, Lindsey Burke, page 351, paragraph 1.) This is literally the first sentence of this section. View Deparment of Education Section Analysis.
  36. Deregulate food production and discontinue any efforts towards sustainability. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Agriculture, Daren Bakst, pages 325, paragraph 5.) Bakst argues for imposing this via executive order, bypassing congress. More about that here.
  37. Repeal ARC and PLC, which are safety nets for American farmers. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Agriculture, Daren Bakst, pages 328, paragraph 6.) This would result in reduced government spending, but has the potential impact of driving smaller, family farms out of business, increasing financial strain in rural communities, and increasing bankruptcies and foreclosures on farms. More about that here.
  38. Eliminate CEP. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Agriculture, Daren Bakst, page 335, paragraph 5.)
    This is the program that allows schools in low-income areas to provide free meals to all students, not just the very poorest ones. Providing meals to all students avoids stigmatizing and shaming poor children, and ensures that they eat. States have made their own choices about the program, and children in these states have routinely been denied food for having lunch debt. Sources and more about that here.
  39. Eliminate the Conservation Reserve Program, which provides environmental benefits such as preventing soil erosion, improving water quality, enhancing wildlife habitats, improving air quality, and more. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Agriculture, Daren Bakst, page 336, paragraphs 6 and 7.) Bakst argues to eliminate anything intended to protect the environment because he is a climate change denier. Climate change is not speculative.23 More about that here.
  40. Repeal the requirement that manufacturers have to label genetically modified food (GMOs) accordingly. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Agriculture, Daren Bakst, page 339, paragraph 6.) More about that here.
  41. Remove federal oversight for charter schools, resulting in zero actual, enforceable standards for what constitutes a quality education. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Education, Lindsey Burke, page 363, paragraph 4.) More about that here.
  42. Repeal and relax criteria for accreditation for institutions of higher learning, resulting in no real, enforceable standards for what constitutes a quality higher education. (Project 2025, Section 3.2: Department of Education, Lindsey Burke, page 352, paragraph 2.) More about that here.
  43. Amend Title IX such that it allows schools to legally discriminate against students on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Education, Lindsey Burke, page 365, paragraph 3.) More about that here.
  44. Dismantle the NEA, the country’s largest teachers’ union. (Project 2025, Section 3.1: Department of Education, Lindsey Burke, page 374, paragraph 2.) Generally speaking, the Heritage Foundation doesn’t support workers’ unions of any kind. More about that here.
  45. Discontinue all federal funding into research and development of renewable energy. (Project 2025, Section 3.2: Department of Energy and Related Commissions, Bernard L. McNamee, pages 400 and 401.) The proposals are structured in such a way as to be actively harmful to the environment (and to the economy, although McNamee does not admit this.) More about that here.
  46. Encourage global nuclear proliferation. McNamee’s proposals in Section 3.2 are expensive ethical nightmares that would at best lead to global instability and the United States falling behind in modern military technology. More about that here. McNamee also explicitly argues for withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal (Project 2025, Section 3.2: Department of Energy and Related Commissions, Bernard L. McNamee, page 404, bulleted list), which prevents Iran from expanding their nuclear capabilities in exchange for us lifting economic sanctions.
  47. Eliminate energy efficiency standards for appliances. This would cost American households billions of dollars a year in increased utility costs24, as well as needlessly increasing environmental impact. (Project 2025, Section 3.2: Department of Energy and Related Commissions, Bernard L. McNamee, page 410, paragraph 4.) More about that here.
  48. Discontinue the GHGRP (Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program.) (Project 2025, Section 3.4: Environmental Protection Agency, Mandy M. Gunasekara, page 457, paragraph 6.) This is the Bruno Strategy at work again. “If we stop collecting statistics about it, it doesn’t exist!” This removes the ability for policymakers to make informed decisions regarding greenhouse emissions, if they have no data to consider. More about that here.
  49. Reform the endangered species act to allow the use of certain pesticides, even when they pose risks to endangered species, as long as it benefits food production and crop protection. (Project 2025, Section 3.4: Environmental Protection Agency, Mandy M. Gunasekara, page 457, paragraph 6.) More about that here.
  50. Hamstring environmental research and development by making it subject to Congressional approval. (Project 2025, Section 3.4: Environmental Protection Agency, Mandy M. Gunasekara, page 469, paragraph 5.) This would not only reduce the EPA’s ability to respond to environmental crises in a timely fashion; if the EPA’s scientific research is subject to congressional approval, it would almost certainly (and possibly by design) become politicized. Research might be influenced by political agendas or lobbying, rather than being driven by scientific priorities or actual environmental needs. More about that here.
  51. Pay the public to spread scientific disinformation. This is couched as “citizen science”, intended to provide public oversight to the EPA, but in practice, this will be exploited by special-interest groups who have a vested interest in ignoring regulations, and it will spread on social media. This is directly in the service of deregulation efforts, but perhaps more nefarious, because it’s taking the long road to deregulation by gradually influencing the public to believe that environmental regulations aren’t necessary. (Project 2025, Section 3.4: Environmental Protection Agency, Mandy M. Gunasekara, page 470, paragraph 2.) More about that here.
  52. Ban stem cell and other research involving fetal tissue. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 487, paragraph 2.) Specific advancements we’ve made from the use of fetal tissue in research and development have included vaccines for polio, rubella, hepatitis A, adenovirus, chicken pox, Ebola, rabies, and shingles. It may eventually treat blindness, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, and more, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. More about that here and here.
  53. Cut off federal funding for states which allow elective abortion. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 487, paragraph 5.) This proposal also requires invasive monitoring of women, their reproductive cycles, and their health in these states. More about that here
  54. Federally ban chemical abortion medications. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 490, paragraphs 2 & 3.) This recommendation is a de facto federal abortion ban – over half of all abortions performed in the United States25 are chemical abortions that are in very early stages of pregnancy. These drugs are also used to treat some types of natural miscarriages, high blood sugar/hyperglycemia, and ulcers, as well as to induce natural labor. More about that here.
  55. Ban multi-donor embryo creation practices. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 493, paragraph 5.) The purpose of these practices is to prevent babies from inheriting mitochondrial diseases, such as MELAS syndrome, Kearns-Sayre syndrome, Leigh syndrome, neuropathy, ataxia, NARP, Pearson syndrome, and more. The practice enables mothers who don’t want to pass on hereditary illnesses to have healthy biological children. More about that here.
  56. Reverse the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions for lowering prescription drug prices. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 497, paragraph 12.) More about that here.
  57. Tie receiving Medicaid benefits to work requirements. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 500, paragraph 3.) He additionally recommends requiring higher premiums and cost-sharing for higher-income enrollees. More about that here.
  58. Cut Medicaid benefits, reduce eligibility, and leave it up to the states to decide what to cut and who qualifies. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 500, paragraph 6.) This requires some explanation to fully understand the implications. In short, it would remove Medicaid benefits from millions of Americans, potentially leaving them without an affordable health care option. More about that here.
  59. Repeal the No Surprises Act, which prevented people from being blindsided by enormous medical bills. Surprise! (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 501, paragraph 3.) This proposal is good for health care providers and insurance companies, but bad for people. Which, unlike your future medical bills, is not a surprise. More about that here.
  60. Jack up rates and reduce benefits on your private insurance. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 501, paragraph 5.) This is buried in a proposal to separate the subsidized and non-subsidized insurance markets, which would likely result in higher premiums for the non-subsidized market for people who don’t qualify for ACA subsidies. Without the ACA’s regulatory mandates (such as protections for pre-existing conditions or essential health benefits), insurers in the non-subsidized market will almost certainly charge more, offer plans with fewer benefits, or go back to dropping people with pre-existing conditions. More about that here.
  61. Withdraw all Medicaid funding from states who require abortion coverage for private insurance plans. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 504, paragraph 6.) Again, abortion care covers miscarriage and a host of potential pregnancy issues. This is strong-arming and coercion, and is very much in opposition to state sovereignty on insurance matters. States affected would be New York, California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Maine, and Vermont; resulting in instantly stripping 26,765,270 Americans26 of their health care coverage. More about that here.
  62. Rescind EMTALA guidelines. This is argued for under false pretenses, and would result in more pregnant women dying of preventable causes in emergency rooms, and no doctors or hospitals being held accountable for those deaths. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, pages 505 and 506.) More about that here.
  63. Allow adoption agencies to legally discriminate against same-sex couples who want to adopt, or unmarried adoptive parents. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, pages 509 and 510.) More about that here.
  64. Eliminate the Head Start Program. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 514, paragraph 3.) Head Start is a federal program that serves children and families in low-income communities by providing services that support early learning, health, nutrition, and family well-being. The program has served more than 38 million children since it was established in 1965. In 2023, around 820,000 children were enrolled. More about that here.
  65. Reverse the mandate that requires that health care providers provide access to and that insurance companies cover contraceptives. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 515, paragraph 5.) This would increase unwanted/unintended pregnancies, as well as potentially putting highly effective forms of birth control, such as IUDs, financially out of reach for some women. More about that here.
  66. Prevent health care professionals from even knowing how to perform abortions as part of their training. (Project 2025, Section 3.5: Department of Health and Human Services, Roger Severino, page 517, paragraph 3.) Answer me this: When a woman has a medical emergency requiring abortion care and no doctors or health care professionals know how to perform one, what happens? SHE DIES. More about that here.
  67. Bring back discriminatory racial practices in affordable housing. Carson argues for rolling back PAVE and AFFH regulations. (Project 2025, Section 3.6: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, page 540, paragraph 7) and (Project 2025, Section 3.6: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, page 541, paragraph 1.) More about that here.
  68. Eliminate the Housing Supply Fund. (Project 2025, Section 3.6: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, page 541, paragraph 2.) This will result in a reduction in affordable housing, increased homelessness, increased housing costs, and higher rent; as well as job losses in the construction industry and in areas where workers can’t afford to live where jobs are available. More about that here.
  69. Ban non-citizens from living in government housing, even if they’re married to a U.S. citizen and their children are citizens. (Project 2025, Section 3.6: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, page 541, paragraph 2.) This would result in the eviction of 25,000 immigrant and mixed-status families, including 55,000 children. More about that here.
  70. Eliminate Housing First policies, which would exacerbate homelessness, drug addiction, and result in increased indigent hospital costs. (Project 2025, Section 3.6: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, page 541, paragraph 4.) More about that here.
  71. Make it more difficult to qualify for FHA loans. Carson proposes limiting who can qualify as a first-time home buyer, and explicitly mandates that the government will no longer be responsible for ensuring fair housing opportunities. This will cause a market slowdown and skyrocket rents. (Project 2025, Section 3.6: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, page 542, paragraph 5.) More about that here.
  72. Repeal the Antiquities Act of 1906, making it possible to extract fossil fuels and mine protected (and often sacred) lands. This will also further endanger, endangered species. (Project 2025, Section 3.7: Department of the Interior, William Perry Pendley, page 564, paragraph 5.) More about that here.
  73. Terminate any FBI or DOJ investigations that are “contrary to the national interest.” (Project 2025, Section 3.8: Department of Justice, Gene Hamilton, page 581, paragraph 3). I guarantee you that the next Trump administration would simply find any investigation into any wrongdoing by himself or his cronies to be “not in the national interest” and drop them. More about that here.
  74. Destroy sanctuary cities. (Project 2025, Section 3.8: Department of Justice, Gene Hamilton, page 599, paragraph 4.) Hamilton deilberately mischaracterizes what sanctuary cities are in order to justify violating states’ rights in the service of rounding up and deporting undocumented immigrants. More about that here.
  75. Legalize and encourage employment-based discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender status, race, sex, or country of origin, citizenship status, and more. The way they’ll do this is by allowing companies to claim “religious” objections to these people, with the full support of the federal government. (Project 2025, Section 3.9: Department of Labor and Related Agencies, Jonathan Berry, page 618, paragraph 2) and throughout section 3.9. More about that here.
  76. Exempt small businesses from having to comply with federal regulations including not having to pay minimum wage, not having to adhere to OSHA safety standards, and more. (Project 2025, Section 3.9: Department of Labor and Related Agencies, Jonathan Berry, page 626, paragraph 2). More about that here.
  77. Regulate your retirement from being invested in “woke” companies. (Project 2025, Section 3.9: Department of Labor and Related Agencies, Jonathan Berry, page 639, paragraph 2). Berry argues here that fiduciaries that manage employer-sponsored retirement plans (and invest them for you) should be prohibited from investing in any company with progressive policies of any kind. More about that here.
  78. Completely phase out the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, which provide legal seasonal labor from immigrants. This will skyrocket food prices and put family farms out of business. (Project 2025, Section 3.9: Department of Labor and Related Agencies, Jonathan Berry, page 643, paragraph 6). More about that here.
  79. Dismantle the NOAA, which would have severe public safety consequences. This means no more free weather forecasting, severe storm warnings, or climate monitoring. They’re doing this because they’re climate change deniers and the NOAA studies climate change, among their other duties. The consequences will be devastating. The states that need storm warnings the most are among the nation’s poorest and will not be able to stand up these types of services for themselves; especially not quickly. More about that here.
  80. Withdraw the 30×30 Executive Order and associated America the Beautiful Initiative. The 30×30 initiative aims to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by the year 2030. The goal is to protect biodiversity, address climate change, and ensure long-term sustainability of ecosystems. The America the Beautiful initiative is the framework by which this is carried out – it actually restores degraded ecosystems and more. More about that here.
  81. Reduce the tax system to two brackets of 15% and 30%, and reduce the corporate tax rate to 18%. Their tax plan taken as a whole would result in raising taxes by $3,000 a year for the median family of four, raising taxes by $950 a year for the average single-person household, and amounts to a $1.5-$2.4 million a year tax cut for the 45K U.S. households making more than $10 million per year. The corporate tax cuts amount to $24 billion dollars a year. The middle 20% of households would see a tax increase of an average of $5,900 a year. (Project 2025, Section 4.2: Department of the Treasury, William L. Walton, Stephen Moore, and David R. Burton, page 728, paragraph 5.) More about that here.
  82. Repeal the part of the Inflation Reduction Act that reduced prescription drug prices. (Project 2025, Section 4.2: Department of the Treasury, William L. Walton, Stephen Moore, and David R. Burton, page 728, paragraph 6.) More about that here.
  83. Repeal Dodd-Frank regulations on big banks, leading to instability in the financial system, greater risk of taxpayer-funded bank bailouts, and possible delays or failures in everyday transactions. (Project 2025, Section 4.2: Department of the Treasury, William L. Walton, Stephen Moore, and David R. Burton, page 737, paragraph 6.) More about that here.
  84. Drop funding for, and privatize, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mac, leading to higher mortgage rates, reduced availability of 30-year mortgages, greater market volatility, and less access to affordable housing for millions of Americans. (Project 2025, Section 4.2: Department of the Treasury, William L. Walton, Stephen Moore, and David R. Burton, page 738, paragraph 2.) More about that here.
  85. Eliminate the dual mandate as it pertains to the Federal Reserve, dropping the focus on employment and focusing only on inflation. This would result in more aggressive inflation control, but at the cost of higher unemployment, slower economic growth, and fewer jobs created. (Project 2025, Section 4.4: Federal Reserve, Paul Winfree, page 764, paragraph 7 & page 772, first bulleted point.) More about that here.
  86. Further erode and eventually eliminate the separation of church of state. This appears throughout the document, but one such example is allowing religious businesses to get government funding, as explicitly argued for in Section 4.5. (Project 2025, Section 4.5: Small Business Administration, Karen Kerrigan, page 781, paragraph 5.) This is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution and a violation of our First Amendment Rights. More about that here.
  87. Jack up tariffs on China to a point where Chinese products are no longer sold in the U.S. (Project 2025, Section 4.6: Trade, Peter Navarro, page 821, paragraph 2.) In the same section, tariff relief is argued by another contributor, so it’s unclear which position is actually being recommended, but this is explicitly argued for. More about that here.
  88. Close the Export-Import Bank. (Project 2025, Section 4.6: Trade, Kent Lassman, page 832, paragraph 9.) It’s argued for in two sections – see the entire section about that
  89. Repeal Section 230 protections for social media companies. (Project 2025, Section 5: Independent Regulatory Agencies, page 858, paragraph 1 and Project 2025, Section 5.2: Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, page 879, paragraph 6.) This means that social media companies could legally be held liable for the content their users post. This would lead to suppressed freedom of speech and additional content moderation. More about that here and here.
  90. Increase risk of predatory lending practices for consumers (Project 2025, Section 5.1: Financial Regulatory Agencies, Robert Bowes, page 871, paragraph 2.) They’ll do this by abolishing Dodd-Frank Section 1061. More about that here.
  91. Stop prosecuting violations of campaign finance law. (Project 2025, Section 5.3: Federal Election Commission, Hans A. von Spakovsky, page 895, paragraph 6.) This is almost certainly because Donald Trump is currently being charged with violating campaign finance laws. More about that here.
  92. Investigate and potentially prosecute companies for respecting environmental and social concerns. (Project 2025, Section 5.4: Federal Trade Commission, Adam Candeub, page 905, paragraph 5.) They’ll do this by charging them under antitrust laws – Candeub argues that anything that cuts into profits – such as adhering to environmental regulations – defrauds shareholders. More about that here.
  93. Dictate who businesses can serve or do business with. (Project 2025, Section 5.4: Federal Trade Commission, Adam Candeub, page 906, paragraph 4.) This is a corollary of the above – refusing service cuts into profits. This amounts to gross government overreach. More about that here.
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Project 2025 in the News

This news feed is automated from Google News results and updates every hour.

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Sources Cited:

  1. What Does Project 2025 Say? (August/September 2024), Material Contributors.
  2. Devine, Curt; Tolan, Casey; Ash, Audrey; Kyung, Lah (August 14, 2024), Hidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term, CNN.
  3. Center for Renewing America (Russ Vought via Twitter) (April 9, 2022), The Center for Renewing America was honored to join President Donald J. Trump for a reception at Mar-a-Lago last night. We are building a first rate America First organization and are committed to strengthening the movement that he built. Russ Vought Via Twitter, Center for Renewing America (@amrenewctr).
  4. Contorno, Steve; Holmes, Kristen (July 30, 2024), Project 2025 director steps down amid backlash from Trump, CNN.
  5. Steven Groves (July 29, 2024), Senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation Steven Groves, provided a basic understanding of the controversial ‘Project 2025.’, WFEA 1370.
  6. Hasan, Mehdi and Team Zeteo (July 29, 2024), Project 2025: Everything You Need To Know In Two Minutes, Zeteo.
  7. Paul Dans Bio, The Heritage Foundation.
  8. Paul Dans, Paul Dans’ Twitter Profile, Paul Dans via Twitter.
  9. Costello, Tom; Carter, Lawrence (August 15, 2024), Undercover in Project 2025, Centre for Climate Reporting.
  10. Scaramucci, Anthony (August 27, 2024), Trump Is Planning To Use ‘Project 2025’ To Build a Russia-Style Oligarchy in the United States, Zeteo.
  11. Press Release (November 14, 2023), Federal Salaries Not Keeping Up With Private Sector, Report Shows, National Treasury Employees Union.
  12. Prevalence of Sexual Assault in the Military: Risk and Protective Factors, Data Sources, and Data Uses, RAND Corporation.
  13. Ainsley, Julia Edwards (February 9, 2017), Exclusive – Trump border ‘wall’ to cost $21.6 billion, take 3.5 years to build: Homeland Security internal report, Reuters.
  14. Gardner, Sarah; Tong, Scott (August 24, 2017), The American protectionism bill that made the Great Depression worse, Marketplace.
  15. Palen, Marc-William (April 16, 2018), Trump says trade wars are easy to win. Here’s what history tells us about a possible U.S.-China conflict., NBC News.
  16. Gatten III, Kenneth, U.S.-China Relations: Short and Long-Term Implications for the Global Economy, Penn State School of Public Policy.
  17. Collins, Kaitlan; Brown, Pamela (April 1, 2019), President pressured staff to grant security clearance to Ivanka Trump, CNN.
  18. Kates, Jennifer; Moss, Kellie (July 17, 2024), Impact of the Mexico City Policy: Literature Review, KFF.
  19. Hass, Ryan; Denmark, Abraham (August 7, 2020), More pain than gain: How the US-China trade war hurt America, The Brookings Institute.
  20. Pettis, Michael (January 28, 2021), How Trump’s Tariffs Really Affected the U.S. Job Market, The Carnegie Endowment.
  21. Chow, Daniel C.K.; Sheldon, Ian M. (2021), Understanding the Economic and Political Effects of Trump’s Tariffs, William & Mary Business Law Review, Vol. 12 (2020-2021), Issue 2 (2021).
  22. Irwin, Neil (September 9, 2024), Trump is more locked in on tariffs than ever before, Axios.
  23. NASA, Climate Change, NASA.
  24. Brady, Jeff (December 21, 2023), Land of the free, home of the inefficient: appliance standards as a culture war target, NPR.
  25. Medical Abortion, The Cleveland Clinic.
  26. Medicaid Enrollment by State 2024, World Population Review.
  27. Shephard, Alex (July 30, 2024), Read J.D. Vance’s Violent Foreword to Project 2025 Leader’s New Book, The New Republic.
  28. Smith, Michelle R.; Swenson, Ali (July 30, 2024), Vance praises a key leader behind Project 2024, a conservative effort Trump has disavowed, The Associated Press.
  29. Durkee, Alison (September 3, 2024), JD Vance Praised Report By Project 2024 Group Denouncing Abortion and IVF: What To Know, Forbes.
  30. Homans, Charles (July 31, 2024), Vance’s links to the Project 2025 leader complicate Trump’s attempts at distance, The Seattle Times.
  31. Pitman, Michael (October 20, 2017), Report: Middletown native J.D. Vance met with Steve Bannon about job, Journal-News.