In April 2023, conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation released “Mandate for Leadership: the Conservative Promise.” Better known as Project 2025, the 922-page document is a comprehensive proposed plan for a future conservative administration, including policy suggestions, shifts in administrative values and complete restructuring of federal agencies. If implemented, these plans would have a tremendous impact on Americans at every level, positive or negative.
According to FactCheck.org, former President of the United States Donald Trump claimed that he knew nothing about the plan, and it should not be associated with his campaign. However, many of Trump’s senior advisors, such as Ben Carson, Christopher Miller and Russ Vought, are included as authors. They go on to claim that “at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration had a hand in Project 2025.”
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J. Tobin Grant is a professor of political science at SIU. He claims that the largest impact that Project 2025 will have is how it prepares the priorities and goals of a possible Trump administration before they would take office, as well as preparing a list of appointees to be ready on day one of the administration.
“Most of the things that are getting headlines in Project 2025 would actually have to go through Congress, something like eliminating education programs, eliminating the entire Department of Education, selling off the National Weather Service, defunding public broadcasting,” Grant said. “These are all things that would require congressional action, and they’re not things that are necessarily going to get through even in a Republican majority.”
He added, “But where Project 2025 is going to get most of its impact is getting people in place in political appointed positions where they can make a lot of the on-the-ground decisions once they’re elected.”
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On Oct. 23, 2024, Carbondale Public Library hosted an event called “Project 2025: Implications for Our Planet.” During this event, speakers came to talk about the possible effects of the policies included in Project 2025, with a focus on how it will affect the climate. One of the speakers, Teresa Machicao-Hopkins, is a family law attorney and Carbondale local who took issue with the book’s proposition to commercialize the National Weather Service’s forecasting operations, allowing private companies to fill the gap.
“What we forget is that the National Weather Service, for example, for those of us that were here last spring when the tornadoes were going through,” Machicao-Hopkins said. “If you had damage to your house and you turned it over to your insurance company, one of the very first questions that was asked was, ‘what did the National Weather Service say about this particular incident?’ It’s the National Weather service that comes out after tornadoes to say what level the tornado is. It’s not just a matter of forecasting and telling us what the temperature is going to be the next day.”
In addition to changes to environmental agencies, the plan advocates for ending government programs aimed at curbing carbon emissions and pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Another speaker at the event was Kay Klinkenborg, a resident of Sun City, Arizona who’s taught several classes on Project 2025 and similar topics. Klinkenborg raised concerns over the global impacts of these proposals.
“They’re going to transfer environmental funding away from mission-based entities to state regulators who do not believe in climate change or science,” Klinkenborg said. “We have many state governments and state regulators who openly say they do not believe in climate change.
They’re going to allow fossil fuel companies to drill on more prominent lands, drill into public waters, and onto indigenous reservation lands where they’re supposed to be protected. This will make more utility monopolies, and it will raise prices for consumers significantly.”
Election day will occur on Nov. 5, 2024. Early voting is currently available. For information regarding in-person voting opportunities or absentee ballot applications, visit jacksoncounty-il.gov.
Staff reporter Morrigan Carey can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.
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