Project 2025, initially introduced by the conservative Heritage Foundation in April 2022, is viewed by supporters as a detailed plan for a conservative resurgence, while critics argue it leads towards authoritarianism. The proposal outlines how a second Trump administration could significantly alter the federal government, including filling agencies with loyalists, reversing abortion rights, and affecting LGBTQ protections and child labor laws.
The Key Elements of Project 2025
Government Restructuring
The initiative suggests that the executive branch be staffed predominantly with Trump loyalists rather than nonpartisan civil servants. The goal is to empower political appointees to implement the President’s agenda more effectively, as noted by Devine, Kirk, and Dans, who observed that the previous Trump administration appointed fewer political appointees initially, leaving career employees in charge.
Additionally, the plan aims to bring the Justice Department, including entities like the FBI, under presidential control, potentially allowing Trump to investigate and possibly incarcerate political opponents, as he has vowed to do.
Labor and Workforce Policies
Project 2025 proposes reducing child labor restrictions, allowing teenagers to work in hazardous jobs with appropriate training and parental consent. It also suggests that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and employers discontinue collecting race and ethnicity employment data to avoid what they term “racial quotas.”
LGBTQ Rights
The plan seeks to redirect federal resources to support a “biblically based” family structure, focusing on traditional families while removing policies promoting LGBTQ equality. It also criticizes gender-affirming care for youth, equating transgender identities to pornography, which they suggest should be banned.
Abortion Regulations
While not explicitly advocating for a nationwide abortion ban, Project 2025 intends to classify abortion outside the realm of healthcare, using federal power to limit access. The Heritage Foundation suggests renaming the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Life and collecting detailed abortion data from states.
The plan also calls for the FDA to revoke its approval of the abortion pill mifepristone and impose stricter regulations on medication abortion access.
Education Reforms
Significant changes to public education are proposed, including cutting federal programs like Head Start and possibly eliminating the Department of Education. The plan also suggests rolling back a Biden-era revision to Title IX that strengthened LGBTQ+ protections, proposing a return to definitions based on “biological sex at birth.”
Implementation of Project 2025
With Trump potentially returning to the White House, the $22 million Project 2025 is advancing, with the Heritage Foundation preparing to fill key government positions with its allies. One notable appointment is E.J. Antoni, a Project 2025 contributor and nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who proposes suspending the agency’s monthly jobs report due to data reliability issues.
Critics view such proposals as early indicators of how Project 2025 might reshape federal data and institutions traditionally independent of partisan influence, suggesting the roadmap may already be unfolding through strategic appointments and policy changes.
