Project 2025 has been getting a lot of notice lately, and not only here in the Blue Review.

In fact, there has been so much attention to the draconian policies proposed in that 900+ page tome, that Donald Trump put pressure on the Heritage Foundation. They fired Project 2025 leader, Paul Dans, a former Trump administration appointee. But, they haven’t shut down Project 2025, just removed the current leader.

Heritage Foundation President, Kevin Roberts, said, “Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels—federal, state, and local—will continue.” That’s actually one of the scariest aspects of Project 2025: They are building a LinkedIn for sycophants, those who would be willing to do Trump’s bidding to dismantle key government departments and make the government less responsive to the needs of the people.

The Trump campaign continues to parrot that they have nothing to do with Project 2025, despite the fact that many of its authors, like Paul Dans, served as political appointees in the previous Trump administration and would likely do so in the next one. Just the other day, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, campaign advisors for the Trump campaign, said: “President Trump’s campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the [former] President in any way.”

While I don’t believe any of that for a second, I’d like to look at Agenda 47, the Trump campaign’s own plan for a potential second Trump administration. Surely, they cannot disavow their own plan!

Project 2025 and Agenda 47 are amazingly similar in their core objectives and policy proposals, reflecting a unified vision of conservative governance. Both plans:

• advocate for substantial attacks across various sectors of the American government,
• emphasize what they call “traditional values,”
• propose inhumane and counterproductive immigration “controls,” and
• advocate for expanded executive powers, leading to an imperial presidency like nothing we have ever seen.

Educational Reforms—Education is a key focus in both Project 2025 and Agenda 47. Project 2025 proposes the elimination of the Department of Education, advocating for a return of control to state and local levels. Trump’s Agenda 47 also calls for significant reforms in the education sector. Trump’s plan includes cutting federal funding to schools that teach “critical race theory” and it calls for ending teacher tenure.

Both plans emphasize school choice, with Trump advocating for universal school choice that allows parents to send their children to any school—public, private, or religious—that best suits their needs. As Democrats, we know the importance of public education to the maintenance of a democracy. Agenda 47 also calls for removing “the radicals who have infiltrated the federal Department of Education.” Since it also suggests that we “certify teachers who embrace patriotic values,” the plan both in Project 2025 and Agenda 47 is to replace the education system with a right-wing, religious education system.

Immigration Policies—On immigration, both Project 2025 and Agenda 47 propose stringent measures. Project 2025 calls for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and severe restrictions on asylum seekers. Similarly, Trump’s Agenda 47 outlines plans to end birthright citizenship, reinstate travel bans from certain countries, and halt refugee admissions. Both agendas aim to block federal grants to sanctuary cities that are attempting to help migrants, often legitimate asylum seekers.

Expansion of Executive Powers—Both Project 2025 and Agenda 47 emphasize expanding presidential powers. Project 2025 proposes dismantling the so-called “deep state” (you and I would call this “the government”) by firing government employees, restoring the president’s authority to dismiss bureaucrats, and reducing federal regulations. Trump’s Agenda 47 also seeks to increase executive power, proposing the restoration of executive orders that expand presidential authority and reduce the influence of independent regulatory agencies. These measures reflect a shared goal Project 2024 and Agenda 47 of consolidating power within the executive branch, reducing the federal government’s overall size and influence, and reducing the power of the Congress to do the will of the people.

Social and Cultural Policies—Both Project 2025 and Agenda 47 advocate for ultra-MAGA conservative social and cultural policies. Project 2025 proposes strict abortion restrictions and emphasizes “traditional family values.” Agenda 47, while not going as far as Project 2025 on abortion, still includes significant conservative social policies. Trump’s plan opposes gender-affirming care for minors, proposes stripping federal funding from schools that promote transgender ideologies (the edge of the wedge for shutting up any care for LGBTQ+ youth), and supports bringing prayer back into schools. Both plans also focus on promoting “patriotic education and values” (code for ultra-MAGA values).

Climate and Energy Policies—Energy policy is another area of alignment between these documents. Project 2025 and Agenda 47 both propose a significant increase in oil and gas production, ignoring both the need to compete globally in alternative energy and the fact that the Biden administration has seen the largest oil output in the history of the United States. Trump’s Agenda 47 specifically calls for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord and eliminating President Biden’s emission reduction policies. This shared emphasis on fossil fuels over renewable energy projects is a cornerstone of both plans, and it’s designed to enrich the oil companies at the expense of our health and environment.

Economic Policies—Economically, both plans advocate for cutting taxes and reducing federal regulations. Project 2025 includes proposals to cut federal spending significantly, while Trump’s Agenda 47 suggests implementing baseline tariffs on foreign goods to boost American manufacturing. These economic strategies aim to protect and invigorate the domestic economy by prioritizing American-made products and reducing dependency on foreign imports. But the impact would be to increase the cost of everything you buy. Tariffs are not paid by the foreign countries or companies; they are tacked onto the already negotiated price for a product and you and I pay it. Whether a future Trump administration gave us the tax policies in Project 2025 (which we discussed last week), or the tariffs proposed in Agenda 47, poor and working class folks will suffer and the wealthy will benefit.

Summary—Project 2025 and Agenda 47 display a shared vision of a conservative, traditionalist America with expanded presidential powers, stringent immigration policies, an attempt to turn public education into right-wing indoctrination, and a strong emphasis on traditional energy sources despite climate change and the fact that other countries are leading in alternative energy. It’s an agenda to drive us into the past instead of the future.

We cannot let this happen. Trump can try to deny that his friends’ fingerprints are all over Project 2025, but he cannot deny that he’s responsible for Agenda 47. The policies proposed in Agenda 47 are sometimes toned down from what is proposed in Project 2025, but this does not make them make sense. They are hateful, designed to increase divisions between rich and poor, and regressive socially.

Help us send both of these plans to the trash heap of history!

Additional Reading

• Ali Swenson and Lisa Mascaro, “Project 2025 shakes up leadership after criticism from Democrats and Trump, but says work goes on.” APNews : https://apnews.com/article/project-2025-heritage-foundation-trump-e2674ea34da786d85e97c0908b0b98a8.