Donald Trump might claim he’s not behind Project 2025, but let’s be real: this sweeping plan is the work of his allies and former staffers, like Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who’ve aligned themselves with some of the most extreme right-wing ideologues in America.
The Heritage Foundation, which orchestrated Project 2025, presents it as a “blueprint” for a future Republican government, but in reality, it’s a dangerous and authoritarian attack on our freedoms, targeting everything from reproductive rights to basic democratic principles.
The Freedom to Choose—Gutted
Let’s start with what Project 2025 does to reproductive rights. The plan’s architects don’t just want to overturn Roe v. Wade—they want to make abortion practically inaccessible nationwide, even in states where voters have already rejected anti-abortion measures. This goes beyond Trump’s disastrous appointment of Supreme Court justices that overturned Roe; Project 2025 envisions federal actions that would make it easier for states to impose more severe restrictions on abortion rights and even potentially criminalize abortion nationally. Trump himself may distance himself from the specifics, but his allies and former staffers are driving this agenda forward with his tacit approval. Make no mistake: this project would result in one of the most regressive shifts on reproductive freedoms in modern U.S. history.
Destroying Workers’ Rights
Project 2025 doesn’t stop at abortion. Workers across America would be hit hard. Trump-era officials involved in crafting this plan have explicitly called for stripping labor protections, making it harder for unions to organize, and rolling back workplace safety regulations. The Heritage Foundation and its co-conspirators aim to gut the very agencies that safeguard workers’ rights, such as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and put more power in the hands of big corporations, leaving employees without a safety net. This isn’t just anti-worker—it’s pro-corporation, and it would disproportionately harm middle- and working-class Americans, the very people Trump and his allies claim to champion.
Eliminating Civil Service Protections
One of the most frightening aspects of Project 2025 is its direct attack on the federal civil service. The plan would purge thousands of federal employees who are perceived as obstacles to Trump’s vision, even if those employees are simply doing their jobs in enforcing laws that protect consumers, the environment, or public health. Trump allies have even discussed creating a “blacklist” of federal workers to be fired if he reclaims the White House. This is government by intimidation—an attempt to turn nonpartisan civil servants into Trump loyalists.
Senator J.D. Vance, who has been closely associated with Heritage and its leadership, has praised Project 2025’s dismantling of the federal government. Vance’s involvement speaks volumes about how far the MAGA movement is willing to go in destabilizing the system of checks and balances that ensures the government works for all Americans, not just a Trump-dominated elite.
Erasing LGBTQ+ Rights
If you’re LGBTQ+, Project 2025 should send a chill down your spine. From the rollback of marriage equality to the erasure of protections for transgender Americans, the plan opens the door to far-reaching reversals of hard-won rights. During his presidency, Trump packed federal courts with conservative judges who are already undermining protections for LGBTQ+ communities. Project 2025 would accelerate this, with sweeping legislative and administrative efforts designed to codify discrimination under the guise of “religious freedom.”
Environmental Rollbacks
Under Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was slashed to the bone, and Project 2025 promises more of the same. This plan would prioritize short-term profits for polluting industries over long-term sustainability, making it easier for corporations to ravage the environment without accountability. We’ve already seen the devastating consequences of Trump’s environmental policies—higher emissions, more polluted water sources, and the rollback of key climate change regulations. Project 2025 is a gift to oil and gas lobbyists, and it would set America’s fight against climate change back by decades.
Voting Rights Under Siege
At its core, Project 2025 is about one thing: control. Its authors want to rig the system in favor of Trump and the MAGA movement. By undermining voting rights and making it harder for marginalized communities to vote, the plan would lock in Republican dominance for years to come. The Project’s assault on voting rights includes gutting protections under the Voting Rights Act and empowering states to enact discriminatory voter ID laws. It’s no coincidence that many of the same actors involved in this project also pushed Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud after the 2020 election.
What’s at Stake? Everything.
The bottom line is this: Project 2025 is more than a political playbook—it’s a roadmap to authoritarianism. By attacking fundamental freedoms, from reproductive rights to voting rights, Trump’s allies are laying the groundwork for a government that serves only the elite. This is not a vision for America’s future; it’s a blueprint for its destruction.
If Trump and his enablers return to power, emboldened by Project 2025, America will see a rollback of civil liberties not seen in generations. Our democratic institutions will be weakened, and the freedoms that so many of us take for granted will be on the chopping block. For anyone who values liberty, equality, and justice, the stakes could not be higher in 2024. Voting against Trump isn’t just a political choice—it’s a stand for the survival of American democracy.
