Project 2025 - what else they intend

In my last article, I detailed what is explicitly stated in Project 2025, but there's lots more when you consider the implications of what is said, plus what is not said.

What's not explicit in Project 2025 but highly likely

Delete sexual orientation, gender identity, DEI, abortion, reproductive health and reproductive rights, etc.

Project 2025 denies that they would "end marriage equality", saying that "The legal recognition of same-sex marriage is not discussed in Mandate for Leadership. Mandate calls for the protection of faith-based grant recipients who maintain support for the traditional definition of marriage. Mandate also supports conscience protections for those who do not wish to participate in same-sex marriages.".

Under 'religion' (page 585/PDF 618), the first priority is to "Provide robust protections for religious employers", writing "the Biden Administration has been hostile to people of faith, especially those with traditional beliefs about marriage, gender, and sexuality. The new Administration should enact policies with robust respect for religious exercise in the workplace". They want employers to be able to "make employment decisions based on religion regardless of nondiscrimination laws". In other words, they want people to be able to discriminate.

The section "PROMISE #1: RESTORE THE FAMILY AS THE CENTERPIECE OF AMERICAN LIFE AND PROTECT OUR CHILDREN." (page 4/36) contains the words "The next conservative President must make the institutions of American civil society hard targets for woke culture warriors. This starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists". On page 481 (513) it states clearly their belief that "marriage is between not just any two adults, but one man and one unrelated woman".

In Florida, Ron DeSantis is already in denial of sexual orientation and gender identity and DEI. Trump would roll back the rights of millions of LGBTQ+ people.

End birthright citizenship

Project 2025 denies that they would "end birthright citizenship", saying that "There is no mention of ending birthright citizenship in Mandate for Leadership.".

This is true, though its parent, conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, has opposed birthright citizenship for decades. Trump has promised to End Birthright Citizenship.

Cut Social Security

Project 2025 denies that they would "cut social security", saying that "Mandate for Leadership does not advocate cutting Social Security" as CNN confirms. The Heritage Foundation, however, advocates cuts. Trump is open to cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Medicare cuts by stealth

Project 2025 says, "HHS is home to Medicare and Medicaid, the principal drivers of our $31 trillion national debt.", apparently ignoring the cost of the unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghan or the cost of Republican presidents' tax cuts for the rich or bank bailouts or the consequences of the COVID pandemic. Page 463 (495) promotes "increased choice of doctors, hospitals, and insurance plans". In practice this has meant so-called "Medicare Advantage". Rather than reducing fraud, introducing private companies into the mix has caused massive fraud. Rather than giving patients more choice, they are restricted to in-network doctors and facilities and are often denied necessary, sometimes life-saving care.

On page 465 (497) it says:

1. Make Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option.

2. Give beneficiaries direct control of how they spend Medicare dollars.

3. Remove burdensome policies that micromanage MA plans.

4. Replace the complex formula-based payment model with a competitive bidding model.

5. Reconfigure the current risk adjustment model.

6. Remove restrictions on key benefits and services, including those related to prescription drugs, hospice care, and medical savings account plans

That first point is a scam, a way to end Medicare by stealth. I wonder if they include allowing Medicare to negotiate all drug prices.

Trump's Agenda 47 includes a promise to protect Medicare ("Fight for and protect social security and medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age") but he has said he is open to cuts to Medicare and Social Security. When he says 'Medicare', I suspect he includes 'Medicare Advantage', which they are keen to expand. They have done a great job branding private insurance plans as Medicare when they are nothing of the sort. Even the Medicare site does it.

Undermine the Affordable Care Act

Project 2025 denies it will gut or end Affordable Care Act end, saying that "Mandate for Leadership offers policy suggestions to curb the abuses of the Affordable Care Act".

Project 2025 does not call for the end of the Affordable Care Act but calls for several reforms (469/501). Physicians for a National Health Program states that these will remove important protections put in place by the Affordable Care Act.

During his first presidential run, Trump promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something better. Yet he never did so, though he did sabotage it. He repeated his promise last November, but he left it out of Agenda 47.

Restrict access to contraceptives

Project 2025 denies that they would "ban contraceptives", saying that "Mandate for Leadership says nothing about banning or restricting contraception.".

The document calls for a new administration to "restore Trump religious and moral exemptions to the contraceptive mandate (also a CMS rule)" (483/516), to rescind longterm contracts with the pro-abortion American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and to eliminate the week-after-pill. So, it is not an outright ban, but it does restrict access.

Trump has said that he does not support restricting birth control, but various people involved with Project 2025 have attacked it.

Raise prescription drug prices

Project 2025 denies that they would "Raise prescription drug prices", saying that "Mandate for Leadership offers proposals to lower drug prices through competition and innovation".

However, it says that a conservative president should "Support repeal of massive spending bills like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)" (365/397). According to Nicole Rapfogel, " If Project 2025 is implemented, millions of Medicare enrollees will see their out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs rise, reversing much-needed savings generated by the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Part D reforms and other provisions".

Trump went through the motions of trying to reduce prescription drug prices in 2020, without any effect. In 2024 he claimed full credit for lowering insulin prices, but that was Joe Biden. So, I wouldn't hold my breath if he gets elected again.

Teach Christian religious beliefs in public schools

Project 2025 denies that they would "teach Christian religious beliefs in public schools", saying that "Mandate for Leadership advocates for all educational opportunities, and for parental rights in education". Agenda 47 says, "Defend our constitution, our bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion...". Florida is already replacing qualified school counselors by chaplains. The Satanic Temple has shown up the hypocrisy time and time again.

As Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons points out, the document is full of references to the Judeo-Christian point of view. While it does not mention teaching Christianity, one Republican state has already mandated the teaching of the bible in schools and another has mandated the display of the ten commandments, which Trump has endorsed.

Towards a complete ban on abortions without exceptions

Project 2025 denies that there would be a "complete ban on abortions without exceptions", saying that "Mandate for Leadership calls for the government to comply with laws that prevent federal funding of abortion. It also calls for federal support for alternatives to abortion, including adoption", saying that "Mandate for Leadership calls for the government to comply with laws that prevent federal funding of abortion. It also calls for federal support for alternatives to abortion, including adoption".

The word 'abortion' occurs 199 times in Project 2025, which gives us some idea of how important regulating women's bodies is to Republicans. Project 2025 goal number one for the HHS (450/482) says,"From the moment of conception, every human being possesses inherent dignity and worth, and our humanity does not depend on our age, stage of development, race, or abilities. The Secretary must ensure that all HHS programs and activities are rooted in a deep respect for innocent human life from day one until natural death: Abortion and euthanasia are not health care". Whatever the rest of the document says, that seems to imply that 'no abortions' is their goal. Some states already have bans with no exceptions.

Project 2025 would revoke approval for the abortion drug mifepristone (458/590). It says, " Allowing mail-order abortions is a gift to the abortion industry that allows it to expand far beyond brick-and-mortar clinics and into pro-life states that are trying to protect women, girls, and unborn children from abortion". Republicans are trying to use the Comstock Act to deny women the option of using mifepristone.

Their policies regarding pregnancy of workers are on page 585 (/ PDF 617). Pro-life workplace accommodations for mothers should not include provision of health insurance benefits for elective abortion. "ERISA should not be allowed to trump states’ ability to protect innocent human life in the womb."

Trump has said, "you don’t need a federal ban", but to leave it up to the states. He claims he would in fact veto a federal ban, but that would not save women in red states. Elizabeth Warren has said, "'Women aren't stupid' enough to believe Vance's US abortion ban veto promise'".

In order to increase their control over women, JD Vance even wants to have access to private medical records. As did Mike Pence before him.

Ban IVF

IVF is not on Project 2050. However, according to a Media Matters review, "At least 22 partner organizations of Project 2025... have publicly criticized in vitro fertilization".

IVF is a subject where fetal personhood clashes with the push for more babies. In Project 2025, Alabama and the Republicans in Senate (including J.D. Vance), fetal personhood wins. Trump has said that he is in favour of IVF, even that it would be paid for, but he overturned Roe v. Wade and has flip-flopped over the years on these issues.

Weaken unions and worker protections

Project 2025 denies that there would be an "elimination of unions and worker protections", saying that "Mandate for Leadership presents different ideas about a conservative labor policy. It calls for combatting the excesses of the Deep State’s bloated federal employee unions, which have ensured that federal employees keep their jobs even if they engage in illegal behavior or perform their jobs poorly".

According to Project 2025, "The agencies’ authorities have been abused by the Left to favor human resources bureaucracies, climate-change activists, and union bosses—all against the interest of American workers." (page 582/614). It proposes a number of policies including "Reverse the DEI Revolution in Labor Policy" and reversing a number of anti-racial discrimination and disparate impact liability policies, sex discrimination protections (584/616). Employers should be able to run their business in accordance with their religion, not antidiscrimination law, it calls for less regulation on small businesses (594/626).

Its section on "worker voice and collective bargaining" (599/631) starts out by saying, "American workers lack a meaningful voice in today’s workplace" and then says that " non-union 'employee involvement organizations'" should be created and calls for reform to the "prohibition on formal worker–management cooperative organizations like works councils" and the creation of “Employee Involvement Organizations” (EIO). It advocates the expansion of workers’ freedom "by allowing them to choose who represents them in negotiations with their employer. The Worker’s Choice Act would accomplish this by ending exclusive representation so that unions in right-to-work states are no longer forced to represent workers who do not want to join them". It advocates greater union transparency and enforcement of disclosure and generally calls for more government interference in union activities.

They propose protections for workers with families (587/619). They also propose making it easier to decertify unions (603/635), but they don't seem to rule them out altogether. "Unions could play a powerful role in tailoring national employment rules to the needs of a particular workplace if, in unionized workplaces, national rules were treated as negotiable defaults rather than non-negotiable floors". They advocate for the repeal of the Davis–Bacon Act that requires federally financed construction projects to pay “prevailing wages” and they want states and local governments to be able to get waivers from federal labor laws like the NLRA and FLSA (605/637).

Trump would likely gut federal employee unions again, as Noah Lanard and Nicholas Liu point out.

The Department of Labor and Related Agencies section (581/613) has a lot to say about overtime. Page 592 (624) details how it would reduce the number of people eligible for overtime pay.

Dismantle homeland security, reform the FBI

Project 2025 denies that they would "defund the FBI and homeland security", saying that "Mandate for Leadership supports de-weaponizing the federal government, including the FBI. Mandate’s chapter on the Department of Homeland Security advocates the legislative creation of a standalone Cabinet-level agency with a focus on the border and immigration, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), and the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL). It also recommends that legislation be pursued to move other component parts of DHS to other agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, and the FBI.".

Not simply defunding homeland security, their "primary recommendation is that the President pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)", moving its constituent parts to other agencies or making them stand-alone. (133/165). It states that "the FBI requires significant additional resources and legal authorities to fulfill its statutory role as the lead operational counterintelligence agency in dealing with the ever-growing threats posed by our adversaries".

Trump wants to defund the Justice Department and the FBI.

Additional tax breaks for corporations and the 1%

Project 2025 calls claims that there would be "additional tax breaks for corporations and the 1%" misleading, saying that "Mandate for Leadership calls for LOWER taxes for ALL Americans, to stimulate economic growth and put more money in Americans’ pockets.".

Tax is mentioned 533 times in the Mandate (often as part of the word taxpayer), but 'tax cuts' only 5 times. It touts Reagan's "tax cuts and other economic policies that gave America one of the longest periods of peacetime economic growth in its history—with an annual growth rate that has not been rivaled since then". Reagan was president from 1981 to 1989. There was a peak in 1984, but otherwise his growth rate was nothing out of the ordinary.

Trump's last tax cuts were for everyone, but the ones on households are set to expire in 2025, and the wealthy and corporations benefitted most. The boost to the economy was short and the cost was high. If Project 2025 plans to repeat the 2017 tax cuts, then its response is itself misleading.

Higher taxes for the working class

Project 2025 denies that they would bring in "Higher taxes for the working class", saying that "Mandate for Leadership calls for LOWER taxes for ALL Americans. Individuals spend their money in more productive ways than the government does.".

Agenda 47 says, "large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!" But see "Additional tax breaks for corporations and the 1%", above.

End civil rights & DEI protections in government

Project 2025 calls claims that they would "end civil rights & DEI protections in government" mostly false, saying that "Mandate for Leadership calls for respecting the civil rights of all Americans, including those who have been censored by the government or had it weaponized against them. Mandate advocates for the end of divisive, race-based, anti-American propaganda in the federal workforce.".

The Mandate advocates "pursuing Equal Protection for All Americans by Vigorously Enforcing Applicable Federal Civil Rights Laws in Government, Education, and the Private Sector", calling DEI offices vehicles for unlawful discrimination (561/593). It says, "reverse the DEI Revolution in Labor Policy" and "eliminate Racial Classifications and Critical Race Theory Trainings" (582/614). The document is riddled with diatribes against DEI, CRT and wokeness. One step it advocates is to "identify every Treasury official who participated in DEI initiatives and interview him or her for the purpose of determining the scope and nature of these initiatives and to ensure that such initiatives are completely ended" (708/740).

Trump attacks DEI. Republicans blame it for Trump’s shooting and use it as a slur against Kamala Harris.

End no fault divorce

Project 2025 denies that they would "end no fault divorce", saying that "Divorce is not mentioned in our policy handbook, Mandate for Leadership.".

True, it is not in the document. But many Project 2025 people are known to want to end it and J.D. Vance has called it “one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace”. According to Justin Horowitz, Project 2025 partners want to make divorce a lot harder.

Raise the retirement age

Project 2025 denies that they would "Raise the retirement age", saying that "Raising the retirement age is nowhere advocated in Mandate for Leadership".

There is no mention of retirement age, though the "Reforming Federal Retirement Benefits" section laments that "Career civil servants enjoy retirement benefits that are nearly unheard of in the private sector" (77/109), saying "although the government pension system has become more like private pension systems, it still remains much more generous, and other means might be considered in the future to move it even closer to private plans". The Heritage Foundation, however, advocates raising the retirement age. There have been other calls from the right-wing to raise it, too.

Trump has tended to flip-flop on social security issues, but he has said "We can also raise the age for receipt of full Social Security benefits to 70". On the other hand, Agenda 47 says, "Fight for and protect social security and medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age".

Cut free and discounted school lunch programs

Project 2025 denies that they would "End free and discounted school lunch programs", saying that "Mandate for Leadership advocates that the Food and Nutrition Service be moved from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Health and Human Services. Mandate condemns the Biden administration’s decision to threaten schools that do not comply with radical transgender policies by taking away their funding for school meals for needy students. Additionally, Mandate supports prioritizing school meal programs for those students who are truly needy, not creating an entitlement for almost all students regardless of family income levels.".

Project 2025 would eliminate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) entirely under which if 40 percent of students in a school or school district are eligible for federal meals, all students in that school or district can receive free meals (303/335) and restrict free school meals to the poorest individuals. House Republicans have called for eliminating the provision, which about 40,000 schools use. Their plans to divert funds from public schools to private will leave school districts less able to make up the shortfall. Some right-wing states are already refusing federal funds for free school meals, showing where their priorities are.

Ban books and curriculum about slavery

Project 2025 denies that they would "Ban books and curriculum about slavery", saying that "Mandate for Leadership does not advocate for banning books or curriculum about slavery".

True, there is no mention of book banning or slavery in the document.

According to Morgan Gilbard and Deborah Caldwell-Stone, books about slavery are already being banned. In Florida, DeSantis signed the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which included banning instruction that would compel students to feel responsibility, guilt or anguish for what other members of their race did in the past. Apparently, he thinks white Florida students are too fragile to learn that their ancestors had slaves. In comparison, German students must be less fragile as they learn about Hitler.

Promote “traditional families”, leaving everyone else out in the cold

Project 2025 denies that they would "Condemn single mothers while promoting only “traditional families”", saying that "Mandate suggests that a future HHS Secretary replace the policies of the Biden administration that prioritize LGBTQ+ equality, subsidize single motherhood, disincentivize work, and penalize marriage with policies that instead encourage marriage, work, motherhood, fatherhood, and nuclear families.".

The Mandate says that the next HHS secretary "should also reverse the Biden Administration’s focus on “‘LGBTQ+ equity,’ subsidizing single-motherhood, disincentivizing work, and penalizing marriage,” replacing such policies with those encouraging marriage, work, motherhood, fatherhood, and nuclear families" (284/316). If it fails to support single mothers, then it is condemning them to poverty - and also the children, who they do not seem to care about once they are born. It says much the same on page 451 (483): "These policies should be repealed and replaced by policies that support the formation of stable, married, nuclear families.". In other words, they view single motherhood as undesirable. Obviously, a happy stable marriage is a good thing, but women become single mothers for many reasons, for example widowhood and rape, and their near-total ban on abortion would force many women, particularly rape victims, to become single mothers.

Use military to break up domestic protests

Project 2025 denies that they would "Use military to break up domestic protests", saying that "The “protests” referenced in Mandate for Leadership are protests in Iran against its anti-American leadership; and protests of parents at school board meetings in opposition to critical race theory and COVID mandates. Both protests are referenced positively. Mandate also protests the FBI’s harassment of protesting parents and condemns the arrest by armed FBI agents of a man who had protested at an abortion clinic a year earlier".

What they say is true, but judging by the examples they give, they are only OK with protests by people who share the same views as them. right-wing support for Trump's past actions makes it seem likely that they would support using the military against protests that oppose them.

According to Joseph Nunn, the "Posse Comitatus Act bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement except when expressly authorized by law". The most important law giving exceptions is the Insurrection Act

In 2020, Trump used the DC National Guard in Washington against mostly peaceful protests against law enforcement brutality and racism. He wanted General Milley to shoot protesters and that that soldiers shoot migrants. Milley refused and resigned. Trump was told shooting immigrants was illegal, but with his SCOTUS-given immunity he miight go ahead next time. Trump deployed various militarized officials to Portland, Oregon where they injured protesters and snatched some off the streets. Trump seems very likely to deploy troops on US soil if he gets back into power.

Partial ban of Muslims from entering the country

Project 2025 denies that they would "Ban Muslims from entering the country", saying that "There is no mention of banning Muslims from entering the United States in Mandate for Leadership". True, but it does not need to be explicit.

In 2017 Trump signed an Executive Order titled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" that was widely referred to as his Muslim travel ban because of the countries listed, though it did not explicitly say so. He's threatened to take similar action more recently, in relation to support for Israel. Since it would be done by country, it would not be a ban on all Muslims.

Continue to pack the Supreme Court and lower courts with right-wing judges

Project 2025 denies that they would "Continue to pack the Supreme Court and lower courts with right-wing judges:", saying that "The only people calling for packing the judiciary are those on the Left, who do it every time the Supreme Court or a lower court makes decisions they don’t like".

True, Project 2025 does not call for more court-packing, but its response completely ignores the fact that Republicans have already packed the courts in their favour. It is very remiss of Biden to have not taken action to redress the balance already. The right-wing majority (which there should not have been) has given itself and Trump enormous powers, which would enable Trump to carry out Project 2050's and Trump's and Republicans' policies, explicit or implicit, much more easily in a second term. No doubt a president Trump would appoint more right wing judges and justices at every opportunity.

Agenda 47 says, "Defend our constitution, our bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms". This would not be freedod of religion, but imposition of religion. It also excludes the freedom not to be shot in schools or anywhere else. The Republicans on the Supreme Court are already rewriting the constitution.

Is there more?

If I've missed anything or got anything wrong, please let me know in the comments- it's a vast subject.

My next article in this series will simply be the list of items from the previous article and this one without the accompanying detail, so that it can be printed off or quoted.