Potential Impacts of Project 2025

Taking the entirety of the 800+ page policy book released by the Heritage Foundation at its word, I made my best attempt at summing up its parts and briefly imagining what this future world might look like.

Environmental and Climate Policy

• Dismantling climate change initiatives and environmental protections
• Expanding fossil fuel production and weakening renewable energy efforts
• Reducing EPA’s authority and scope

Potential Impacts: Increased greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation, and public health risks. Reduced ability to combat climate change and protect ecosystems.

Hypothetical Future Results: National parks might shrink, with some areas opened for oil drilling. Extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires could become more frequent and intense. The air you breathe and the water you drink might become more polluted, leading to more health problems for you and your community.

Social Justice and Civil Rights

• Eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across government agencies
• Removing protections for LGBTQ+ individuals
• Restricting abortion rights and access

Potential Impacts: Increased discrimination, reduced protections for marginalized groups, and limited access to healthcare and reproductive rights.

Hypothetical Future Results: It may becomes harder for people from diverse backgrounds to get jobs or promotions. LGBTQ+ individuals might face more discrimination at work or in accessing services. Women might have to travel long distances or even to other states to access reproductive healthcare. Overall, the progress made in civil rights over the past decades could be reversed, leading to a more unequal society.

Labor and Workers’ Rights

• Weakening unions and collective bargaining rights
• Reducing worker protections and safety regulations
• Promoting gig economy jobs without traditional employment benefits

Potential Impacts: Decreased worker bargaining power, potential for exploitation, and reduced job security and benefits for workers.

Hypothetical Future Results: A job market where it’s harder to negotiate for better pay or working conditions. Workplace safety rules might become more relaxed, potentially leading to more on-the-job injuries. Many more people might work in “gig” jobs without steady schedules, health insurance, or retirement benefits. This could lead to increased stress and financial insecurity for many workers and their families.

Healthcare

• Privatizing aspects of Medicare and increasing beneficiary cost-sharing
• Adding work requirements to Medicaid
• Reducing funding for public health initiatives

Potential Impacts: Reduced access to healthcare, particularly for low-income individuals and seniors. Potential increase in medical bankruptcies and untreated health conditions.

Hypothetical Future Results: More people avoid going to the doctor because they can’t afford it. Seniors might have to pay more out of pocket for their Medicare coverage. Some people might lose their Medicaid coverage if they can’t meet work requirements, even if they’re caring for family members or have health issues. Public health programs that prevent diseases might be cut, potentially leading to more outbreaks of preventable illnesses.

Education

• Promoting school choice and voucher programs
• Eliminating the Department of Education
• Removing federal protections for transgender students

Potential Impacts: Potential defunding of public schools, reduced educational equity, and increased discrimination against LGBTQ+ students.

Hypothetical Future Results: A system where public schools receive less funding, leading to larger class sizes and fewer resources. Some students might use vouchers to attend private schools, but many families could be left with underfunded local schools. Without federal oversight, education quality and policies could vary widely between states. Transgender students might face more bullying or discrimination at school without federal protections.

Immigration

• Increasing border security and expanding detention capacity
• Restricting asylum eligibility and legal immigration pathways
• Eliminating protections for undocumented immigrants

Potential Impacts: Increased deportations, family separations, and human rights concerns. Reduced cultural diversity and potential economic impacts from reduced immigration.

Hypothetical Future Results: Much stricter immigration policies. More families might be separated due to deportations. People fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries might find it harder to seek safety in the U.S. Communities might become less diverse as immigration decreases. Some industries that rely on immigrant workers, like agriculture or hospitality, could face labor shortages.

Economic Policy

• Reducing corporate taxes and regulations
• Privatizing various government functions
• Cutting social welfare programs

Potential Impacts: Increased income inequality, reduced social safety net, and potential for economic instability.

Hypothetical Future Results: The gap between rich and poor grows even wider. Big companies might pay less in taxes, while government programs that help low-income families get cut. Services like the postal service or parts of Social Security might be run by private companies instead of the government. This could lead to higher costs for users and potential service cuts in less profitable areas.

Voting Rights and Democracy

Limiting DOJ’s ability to prosecute campaign finance violations Opposing efforts to change the FEC’s structure for more enforcement Potentially making it harder to vote through various restrictions

Potential Impacts: Reduced democratic participation, increased influence of money in politics, and potential for voter suppression.

Hypothetical Future Results: A political system where it’s harder for some people to vote, maybe due to stricter ID requirements or fewer polling places. Big donors and corporations might have even more influence over elections due to looser enforcement of campaign finance laws. This could lead to policies that favor wealthy interests over those of average citizens. Voter turnout might decrease if people feel their votes don’t matter as much.

Criminal Justice

• Emphasizing prosecution of “career criminals” and drug offenses
• Enforcing the death penalty “where appropriate”
• Reducing oversight of police departments

Potential Impacts: Potential increase in mass incarceration, disproportionate impact on communities of color, and reduced police accountability.

Hypothetical Future Results: Even more people in prison, especially for drug-related crimes. The death penalty might be used more frequently. There could be less oversight of police actions, potentially leading to more instances of police misconduct without consequences. This could further strain relationships between law enforcement and communities, especially communities of color.

Technology and Privacy

• Reinterpreting Section 230 to potentially increase content removal
• Imposing new rules on tech platforms that could lead to over-regulation
• Expanding surveillance capabilities without clear privacy safeguards

Potential Impacts: Potential for increased censorship, reduced online privacy, and expanded government surveillance powers.

Hypothetical Future Results: Internet where social media companies remove more content to avoid legal issues, potentially limiting free speech online. The government might have easier access to your online data and communications. New regulations could make it harder for new tech companies to compete with established giants. You might feel less sure about your privacy when using technology in your daily life.