We’re hearing a lot about Project 2025, but what is it?
It is an 887-page recommendation of policy changes for a conservative president based on the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership program, which has been issued every four years since 1980. The Foundation said former President Donald Trump implemented 67% of their recommendations in his first year.
Here are 25 key points I’ve collected from many sources, including both pro and con in-person meetings and media, and reading through it. See how they may affect you, your family or your community. The Project:
1. Disassembles the Department of Education, ending all federal financial support for public schools, and all Title I programs for low-income students.
2. Shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto the middle class. If you make more than $10 million annually in Colorado, you’ll see a tax cut of $1.5 million; if not, a typical family of four will pay about $2,776 more.
3. Cuts Social Security by raising the retirement age from 67 to 69. It cuts benefits for those currently receiving it.
4. Limits or adds a lifetime cap on Medicaid benefits, affecting low-income and disabled residents.
5. Raises the cost of prescription drugs by eliminating out-of-pocket Medicare drug costs and limits the government from negotiating lower prices.
6. Eliminates some emergency contraception medications from free preventive care requirements.
7. Instructs the Department of Justice to misapply the Comstock Act, a pair of laws from 1873 and 1909, to criminalize the mailing of abortion medication, even where abortion is legal.
8. Charges the DOJ to take legal action against officials who refuse to bring cases against women and doctors who violate state abortion bans.
9. Eliminates Head Start, which provides access to no-cost child care for low-income families. In Colorado, 1 in 5 day care spots will be lost.
10. Replaces Income-Driven Repayment plans on student loans, with payments based on income or family size, with a one-size-fits-all program that will increase payments for all borrowers. Payments may increase by $2,700 to $4,100 each year.
11. Removes health care protections for people with preexisting conditions.
12. Allows employers to deny workers access to birth control through insurance.
13. Persecutes LGBTQ+ Americans by removing all federal protections in employment and marriage.
14. Allows the government to monitor pregnancies for potential miscarriages, and penalizes states that don’t submit data on how many abortions take place within their borders.
15. Taxes employer-paid health insurance.
16. Instructs the Department of Labor to focus health and safety inspections on only certain offenders, usurping state and local government prerogatives. It also amends hazard-order regulations, allowing children to work “dangerous jobs” in “dangerous fields.”
17. Eliminates overtime pay by allowing employers to average workers’ time over a longer period.
18. Eliminates public sector unions and collective bargaining rights.
19. Fires all civil servants and gives the president the power to hire, bypassing Congress.
20. Centers power in the executive branch to crack down on political dissent, using the Insurrection Act to quash all protests.
21. Allows for widespread firing of librarians and educators who teach or lend certain books.
22. Bans all universal school meals, because the federal program is an “entitlement program.”
23. Shifts to a more nationalistic and America-first approach, away from being global citizens.
24. Encourages the rollback of environmental concerns affecting public health and climate change.
25. Eliminates Cyber Command, hindering Homeland Security from monitoring election security.
Of note, this report mentions restrictions on women 101 times, and fewer than 20 on men.
And there’s more …
Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, is serving her fourth term representing La Plata, Montezuma, Archuleta and San Juan counties. She has been a journalist and teacher.
