POWERGRAB: What Project 2025 would do to America and why we should care.

 

What would life in America be like during a presidential administration run by the guidelines of Project 2025?

The Columbus Dispatch said, “Project 2025 is a plan created by The Heritage Foundation to usher in the country's next conservative president, but whether or not that includes Trump is uncertain.” (Perry, 2024).

Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, outlines a comprehensive set of guidelines and policy proposals for a possible upcoming conservative presidential administration. If implemented, life in America under these guidelines would experience significant shifts in several key areas, including government structure, economic policy, social programs, and regulatory approaches.

It would personally impact the lives of several million Americans!

Government Structure and Power Dynamics

Executive Power and Bureaucracy:

Project 2025 emphasizes a strong executive branch, advocating for the consolidation of executive power under the President. This approach is rooted in the unitary executive theory, which asserts that all executive authority is vested in the President.

One of the notable changes proposed is the reclassification of tens of thousands of federal civil service workers as political appointees. This move aims to replace existing staff with individuals loyal to the administration’s policies, reducing what its proponents see as a liberal-leaning bureaucracy.

In plain English, everyone who has worked in a career of civil service on the Federal level for however many years would be replaced with someone who has been chosen for their loyalty to a newly elected Republican President above all other considerations, despite the lack of experience or expertise their replacement would have in those positions!

Department Restructuring:

The project proposes a significant restructuring of federal departments and agencies. For example, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be dismantled, redistributing its functions to other departments. Immigration-related functions from DHS, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and Health and Human Services (HHS) would be consolidated into a new, standalone Cabinet-level agency (Project 2025, 2023). Additionally, the Department of Education would be abolished. Its programs would either be terminated or transferred to other agencies. (Jorstad, 2024).

This is not a new concept. The far-right Republican leadership has fought to abolish the Department of Education for a long time. Now, they have codified it into this public policy manual. Republican calls to end the department have been around about as long as it’s existed. Such an action might imperil the four biggest programs at the department: student lending, Pell Grants, IDEA, and Title I. This would leave a lot of learners in a lurch and unable to complete their studies. (Hess, 2023).

Economic and Regulatory Policies

Tax and Trade Policies:

Economic policy under Project 2025 would likely focus on significant tax cuts. The plan advocates for reducing the regulatory burden on businesses, which includes rolling back environmental and climate regulations to favor fossil fuel production. (Budryk & Frazen, 2024). Trade policies within the project are a point of contention among its proponents, with some advocating for protectionist measures while others support free trade.

Regulatory Rollbacks:

The project aims to dismantle several regulatory bodies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It also calls for reforms or the elimination of dietary guidelines published by the Department of Agriculture, which the authors claim is influenced by climate change and sustainability issues. (AFGE, 2024).

Which means among other things, no nutritional guidance from the Department of Agriculture. It also means that fraudsters have one less impediment toward hijacking your finances.

Social Policies and Values

Immigration and Border Security:

Immigration policy would see aggressive changes, including completing the border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and employing active-duty military personnel and the National Guard for border enforcement operations. The project also recommends rolling back policies that restrict enforcement actions in “sensitive” locations like schools and churches (Quinn & Rosen, 2024).

The topic of Immigration under the project’s control alone could and probably should be discussed in future posts. Immigration is a favorite subject for the Republicans to talk about and Project 2025 is set to entangle our immigration policies if it becomes reality.

Cultural and Educational Policies:

Project 2025 targets diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, particularly in higher education. The plan seeks to eliminate DEI-related positions, policies, and programs across the executive branch and terminate funding for organizations that promote DEI practices. (2021).

If you are nonwhite going into higher education Project 2025 will affect you should it become active. Be aware of this as it can cause another set of unnecessary roadblocks for those desiring degree training programs (college, university education).

Promotion of Christian Values:

The project envisions infusing government and society with Christian values, reflecting the influence of the Christian right within the conservative movement. This includes potential impacts on policies related to social issues and the intersection of church and state. (Prokop, 2024).

An article in Politico cites instances where leading the nation toward Christian based values can have strong impacts on its citizens particularly within the lens of women’s health. The article states the project “…also proposes increasing surveillance of abortion and maternal mortality reporting in the states, compelling the Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval of “chemical abortion drugs” and protecting “religious and moral” objections for employers who decline contraception coverage for employees. One of the groups that partners with Project 2025, Turning Point USA, is among conservative influencers that health professionals have criticized for targeting young women with misleading health concerns about hormonal birth control. Another priority is defunding Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive health care to low-income women.” Ward & Przybyla. (2024).  

Potential Criticisms and Concerns

Authoritarian Concerns:

Critics argue that Project 2025’s emphasis on consolidating executive power and reclassifying civil service positions could lead to an authoritarian style of governance. Legal experts warn that such changes could undermine the rule of law, separation of powers, and civil liberties. (Waldman, 2024). The project’s focus on promoting Christian values has also raised concerns about the erosion of the separation of church and state. (Graves-Fitzsimmons, 2023).

Impact on Climate and Environment:

The rollback of environmental and climate regulations proposed by Project 2025 could significantly hamper efforts to address climate change. Critics argue that favoring fossil fuel production over renewable energy sources would be a step backward in combating global warming. (Drugmand, 2024).

In summary, an America under a presidential administration guided by Project 2025 would experience substantial changes in government structure, economic policy, regulatory frameworks, and social policies. The project’s emphasis on executive power, reduction of bureaucracy, and promotion of conservative values would reshape many aspects of American life, with both supporters and critics voicing strong opinions on the potential outcomes.

Full disclosure: This post was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence. References are included to verify all claims made. So there!

References.

Perry, A. (2024). The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved July 16, 2024, from https://eu.dispatch.com/story/news/2024/07/16/project-2025-know-about-conservative-blueprint/74410531007/

Project 2025 (2023). Department of homeland security. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from tatic.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-05.pdf

Jorstad, J. (2024) What project 2025 could mean for education. Retrieved, July 17, 2024, from https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/opinion-what-project-2025-could-mean-for-education

Hess, R. (2023). Republicans Keep Talking About Abolishing the Education Department. Why? Education Week. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/opinion-republicans-keep-talking-about-abolishing-the-education-department-why/2023/10

Budryk & Frazen (2024). What project 2025 would mean for the fight against climate change. The Hill. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4769252-project-2025-climate-change-energy-environment/

AFGE (2024). Project 2025 Seeks to Dismantle Agencies, Terminate Up To 1 Million Federal Workers Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.afge.org/article/project-2025-seeks-to-dismantle-agencies-terminate-up-to-1-million-federal-workers

Whitehouse.gov (2021). Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/25/executive-order-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce/

Prokop, A. (2024). Project 2025: myths and facts. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.vox.com/politics/360318/project-2025-trump-policies-abortion-divorce

Waldman, M. (2024). A dangerous vision for the presidency. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/dangerous-vision-presidency

Graves-Fitzsimmons, G. (2023). The right's Project 2025 wants to make faith the government's job. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/project-2025-heritage-foundation-christian-nationalism-rcna103510

Quinn & Rosen. (2024). What is project 2025? Retrieved July 18, 2024, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-project-2025-trump-conservative-blueprint-heritage-foundation/

Ward & Przybyla. (2024). Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration. Politico. Retrieved July 18, 2024, from https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/20/donald-trump-allies-christian-nationalism-00142086