My Thoughts on Project 2025
To the editor:
I have been hesitant to ever submit a letter to the editor. So many are met with such anger and vitriol. It hardly seemed worth it. However, in Project 2025 I have found a threat to the American people so startling even I am willing to write a letter. For the record, I come in peace, not to argue, but to inform because everyone needs to know about this.
Project 2025 is currently making the rounds on some news sources so maybe you’ve heard of it. I have been doing my own research for a while now. How much do you know about it? You should definitely be familiar with it before you cast your ballot in November. Project 2025 was developed by the ultra conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, at the helm and is intended as the roadmap for the next Republican administration, meaning Donald Trump, if he wins in November.
It is a massive document of 900+ pages crammed full of plans to roll back freedoms, defund services and alter the lives of everyday Americans. There’s only space here to share a tiny bit of what they have planned for our nation, but perhaps it will be enough to pique your interest. I hope so. It would be impossible to cover all the ways its implementation could ruin your life in a single letter to the editor.
Let’s start with Project 2025’s tax plan. It wants to once again lower the corporate tax rate, this time to 18%. Meanwhile, it calls for raising taxes on the middle class (Pg. 696). The formula is in the plan. Since this would have ramifications for me, I did the math for myself. As a woman in my 60s with income from Social Security and a state retirement pension, my federal income tax obligation will nearly double under their plan while the taxes of huge corporations go down significantly. Somehow that doesn’t seem quite right to me.
Here’s a few examples of how Project 2025 intends to undermine public education in America. It will divert federal dollars currently going to support our public schools to private schools, but will not hold them accountable to meeting standards in the same way (Pg. 331). On page 326 it calls for the elimination of federal funding for Title I within the next 10 years. If you are not familiar with Title I, this is federal funding provided to schools with a high percentage of low income students to ensure a more equitable education. Every public school in Fayette County receives Title I funding. Project 2025 wants to eliminate the Headstart program (Pg. 482), which has promoted school readiness for 39 million preschoolers and their families since its inception in 1965. During fiscal year 2022, the Headstart program helped 883,000 preschoolers get ready to be more successful on their educational journey. On page 333 the plan encourages the weakening of Title IX enforcement. On the following page, it does the same regarding Title VI. FYI, Title IX insures equal funding for girls in sports. Title VI is a part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and protects students from race based discrimination. And it will eliminate entirely the Department of Education. Because ensuring an educated citizenry isn’t important enough to merit its own department or a cabinet position? Seriously?
I’ve scarcely scratched the surface so far. There’s the cutting of VA disability benefits (Pgs. 649-650), the bulldozing of worker protections (Pgs. 581-616), increased costs for Medicare recipients (Pgs. 462466), replacing career federal employees who are subject matter experts with political loyalist (Pg. 80). But they’re just getting started. On page 592 they suggest eliminating overtime. On page 583 they undermine the Equal Opportunity Employment Act. They want to dismantle NOAA (Pg. 664). That’s hurricane tracking and the weather y’all! They want to dismantle FEMA. (Pg. 154). They want to mandate that all public school students take the military entrance exam, but make no such demands of private school students (Pg. 102103). And on and on…. Oh, and then there’s the overt attack on women’s rights. It would be a disservice to cite just one source for this because it’s everywhere throughout Project 2025. Hey single mom, don’t you go trying to take care of your children on your own. No ma’am. The all-knowing Heritage Foundation says in their roadmap for Trump you aren’t capable and you need a man to marry you because that’s what makes a real family (Pg. 451). Dad+Mom+Children = Real Family. Anything else = less than real family. This is not a joke. It really says this. And I still have scarcely scratched the surface.
Project 2025 is a frightfully harmful document intended to be the roadmap for policy changes beginning day one if a Republican (DJT) returns to the White House in 2025. Please look into it for yourselves. You really need to know about this so you can make your own informed decisions. There’s lots of really good information on Substack, otherwise Google it, or check out the link below. (I know it’s a slog, but you really need to know.) Project 2025 isn’t a vague idea. It’s their detailed plan. https://static.project2025. org/2025_MandateForLeadership_ FULL.pdf
One final thought. Candidate Trump initially praised Project 2025. (Google his keynote speech at The Heritage Foundation in 2022.) However, he is now trying to publicly distance himself from it as its content has surfaced and begun to set off sirens. Don’t believe it. At least 140 contributors to Project 2025 are linked to Trump including six of his cabinet members or appointed ambassadors. His name is mentioned in the document 310 times. The words of his VP pick, J.D. Vance, mirror almost identically the plans laid out in Project 2025. And, Vance wrote an incredibly flattering introduction to Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 architect Kevin Roberts’ book praising his vision for America. Trump and Vance know and they are all in on this disastrous, antidemocracy plan.
I welcome fact-based discussion, but please spare us all the hateful words and accusations. I don’t hate America or God and neither do you. So let’s not go there.
Laura Logan La Grange