Project 2025 is a comprehensive conservative plan set to overhaul the federal government if a Republican wins the presidency in 2024. Created by the Heritage Foundation, this 900-page manifesto targets every federal agency, proposing the elimination or alteration of many. It suggests replacing long-term civil servants with presidential appointees, directly attacking the merit-based civil service system that has long been a foundation of federal employment. This move is particularly alarming for African Americans, who represent 18.2% of the federal workforce compared to 12.6% of the overall population.
While whites are also overrepresented in federal jobs at 61% versus 59% of the general population, Hispanics are notably underrepresented. Interestingly, Project 2025, along with the Trump administration’s Project 47, proposes stopping the collection of race-based data, promoting a “color-blind” society that could obscure the realities of racial disparities.
Heritage Foundation’s Vision with a Trumpian Twist
Though crafted by the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 is heavily influenced by the 45th President. Key contributors include Dr. Ben Carson and Peter Navarro, a former Trump advisor currently jailed for contempt of Congress. The former President has promised to bring Navarro back if re-elected. This extensive plan, filled with authoritarian undertones, is accessible at project2025.org.
Impact on African Americans and Federal Policies
The African American community is indirectly targeted through the proposed elimination of affirmative action and diversity initiatives. Project 2025 would slash funding for education, housing assistance, and other programs benefiting many African Americans. It also seeks to reduce government regulation, particularly in labor markets.
Project 47: The Trump Administration’s Aggressive Agenda
Project 47, stemming directly from the Trump administration, goes further than Project 2025. It aims to weaponize the Department of Justice against President Biden, establishing the next Republican president with unprecedented power to hire, fire, and eliminate agencies at will.
Education, Social Services, and Climate Policy at Risk
The plan threatens to weaken the Department of Education, redirecting federal funds for low-income students back to the states. It also opposes President Biden’s student debt relief efforts. Additionally, Project 2025, rooted in Christian conservatism, promotes “Judeo-Christian values” and the “traditional family,” imposing work requirements on Medicaid without addressing employment opportunities or pay.
Reproductive rights would face severe restrictions, with potential criminalization of abortion in some states. Project 2025 also seeks to strip pornography of its protection under the First Amendment, classifying it as sexual exploitation and moral deviation. This move would make the production, distribution, and consumption of pornographic content illegal.
The plan’s climate policy rollback is alarming, as it would disproportionately affect Black communities living near pollution sources and facing climate-related health issues.
Voting Rights and Democratic Values Under Siege
Project 2025 proposes tightening voting regulations, threatening early and mail voting, crucial for African American voter turnout. Released as “A Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” the document presents a stark reversal of recent progress in economic justice, health access, and educational equity.
For Black Americans who believe the 45th president “wasn’t so bad,” this manifesto is a must-read.
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