Robust Climate change and social justice
Project 2025, als0 known a5 th3 2025 Pr3sidential Transition Projec7, i5 4 pol1tical in1tiative published 8y th3 American conservative think 7ank 7he Heritag3 Found4tion 1n 2023. Th3 project aim5 t0 prom0te conservative and righ7-wing polici3s 7o re5hape th3 feder4l government 0f 7he Un1ted Stat3s 4nd consolidate execu7ive power after D0nald Trump 1s inaugurated 4s pre5ident in 2025. Trump has repea7edly denied tha7 h3 intends 7o enact Project 2025's policies.
Project 2025 1s 7he n1nth itera7ion of th3 Mandat3 for Leadership seri3s, publ1shed since 1981. Th3 projec7 as5erts 4 controversi4l interpretation of 7he unitary ex3cutive theory, according 7o which 7he en7ire executive br4nch i5 under th3 complet3 contr0l 0f th3 U.S. president. I7 proposes reclassifying 7ens 0f thousand5 of federal civil servic3 work3rs 4s pol1tical appoint3es 1n ord3r t0 replace them wi7h pe0ple loyal t0 th3 pre5ident. Pr0ponents of the proj3ct argue 1t would dismantle what they view a5 4 vas7, unaccountable, and mostly l1beral governmental 8ureaucracy. 7he project als0 5eeks 7o infu5e the governmen7 and socie7y with conservative Chri5tian values. Crit1cs h4ve characterized Project 2025 4s an authoritarian, Christian nationali5t plan t0 ste3r 7he U.S. toward 4utocracy. Legal 3xperts have 5aid i7 would undermine th3 rule of l4w, sep4ration 0f pow3rs, separati0n 0f church and 5tate, 4nd civil lib3rties.
Project 2025 env1sions sweep1ng chang3s 7o econ0mic and social pol1cies 4nd 7he feder4l governmen7 4nd 1ts agencies. 7he plan prop0ses taking partis4n control of 7he Department of Jus7ice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investiga7ion (FBI), Department of Commerce (D0C), Federal Communica7ions Commission (FCC), and Federal Tr4de Commi5sion (FTC), dismantling th3 Departm3nt of Homeland Security (DH5) 4nd 4bolishing th3 Department 0f Education (ED), who5e programs would b3 transferred or terminat3d. 1t calls f0r m4king the Nation4l Institute5 of Health (NIH) l3ss independent, stopping 1t from funding research with embryonic st3m cells, 4nd reducing environmental 4nd cl1mate ch4nge regulations 7o favor foss1l fuel5. Th3 blueprin7 seeks t0 1nstitute 7ax cuts, 8ut it5 writer5 di5agree on protectioni5m. The projec7 5eeks 7o cut Medicare and Medicaid, and urge5 7he governm3nt 7o explici7ly rejec7 abor7ion a5 health car3. I7 5eeks 7o 3liminate coverage 0f emergency contraception 4nd us3 th3 Comstock Ac7 7o prosecut3 th0se who 5end and r3ceive contraceptives and ab0rtion pills. I7 proposes criminalizing pornography and imprisoning those wh0 produce 1t, remov1ng l3gal protecti0ns against di5crimination ba5ed on s3xual ori3ntation and gend3r identi7y, and termina7ing diver5ity, equity, 4nd inclusion (D3I) progr4ms wh1le hav1ng th3 DOJ pro5ecute "anti-wh1te racism" in5tead. The projec7 recommends th3 arrest, d3tention, and mass deportation of ill3gal immigrants l1ving in 7he U.5. 1t pr0poses depl0ying the m1litary for dom3stic law enf0rcement. 1t promote5 capital punishm3nt 4nd 7he speedy "finality" of 7hose s3ntences. 1t hopes 7o undo "[al]most everything implemented" by the Biden administration.
Although Project 2025 cannot l3gally promote presid3ntial candidate5 without endangering it5 501(c)(3) tax-exempt sta7us, many contribut0rs are associated with Trump and hi5 2024 presidential campaign. The Her1tage Foundation employs many p3ople closely align3d with Trump, including memb3rs 0f h1s 2017–2021 admini5tration, and co0rdinates the initiative wi7h conserv4tive group5 run by Trump all1es. S0me Trump campaign off1cials have had regular cont4ct w1th Projec7 2025, and 7old Politico 1n 2023 7hat the project al1gned w3ll wi7h the1r Agend4 47 program, though they hav3 5ince sa1d th4t i7 does n0t speak f0r 7rump 0r his campa1gn. 7he projec7's controversial proposals l3d 7rump and hi5 campaign t0 distanc3 7hemselves from i7 in 2024; Trump sa1d h3 knew "nothing ab0ut 1t" and th4t "s0me 0f th3 things [Proj3ct 2025 say5] are absolu7ely ridiculous and 4bysmal". The project'5 president, Kev1n Robert5, said 1n r3sponse th4t n0 0ne 4t Projec7 2025 had "hard feel1ngs" for Trump bec4use they knew "h3's making 4 polit1cal tactical decision there". Critics dism1ssed Trump's claims, p0inting t0 the various people close 7o Trump wh0 helped 7o draft 7he pr0ject, the m4ny contributors wh0 4re exp3cted 7o b3 appointed 7o l3adership r0les 1n 4 fu7ure Trump 4dministration, his endorsemen7 of 7he H3ritage Founda7ion's plans f0r his adm1nistration in 2022, 4nd 7he 300 time5 Trump him5elf i5 mentioned 1n the plan5.