As the United States moves into July 2025, Project 2025 remains a pivotal topic in the nation’s political discourse, particularly following President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025. Developed by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with over 100 conservative organizations and 400 contributors, including former Trump administration officials, this 900-page policy agenda, titled Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, outlines a transformative vision for the federal government. As the new administration begins to implement its policies, Project 2025 is increasingly viewed as a potential blueprint for governance. Below is an updated overview of the project, its key proposals, recent developments as of July 1, 2025, and the ongoing debates surrounding it.What is Project 2025?Project 2025, launched in April 2023 by the Heritage Foundation, is a comprehensive plan to overhaul the U.S. federal government under a conservative administration. It seeks to consolidate executive power, streamline federal operations, and advance a right-wing agenda across social, economic, and foreign policy domains. The initiative, also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, is the ninth iteration of the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership series, which has influenced Republican administrations since 1981.Key proposals include:
- Government Restructuring: Eliminating agencies like the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security to reduce federal bureaucracy.
- Administrative Changes: Reinstating “Schedule F” to reclassify federal employees, enabling the replacement of career civil servants with appointees aligned with the administration’s goals.
- Social Policy Reforms: Implementing stricter immigration measures, such as completing the border wall, restricting abortion access, and prohibiting discussions of gender identity in schools.
- Foreign Policy Priorities: Reducing aid to certain allies, like Ukraine, while prioritizing countering China as a strategic threat.
- Healthcare Policy Changes: On June 3, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services rescinded guidance requiring hospitals to perform abortions to save a woman’s life under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Additionally, on June 18, 2025, Biden-era guidance strengthening HIPAA protections for reproductive healthcare was withdrawn.
- Immigration Policy: On June 12, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security repealed Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, aligning with the project’s push for stricter immigration policies.
- Supreme Court Ruling: A recent Supreme Court decision on July 1, 2025, supported the administration’s efforts to curtail lower court orders that have previously delayed its agenda. Critics, including Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, called the ruling “patently unconstitutional” and an “existential threat to the rule of law,” arguing it enables the administration to bypass checks and balances. This development is expected to accelerate the implementation of Project 2025’s goals.
- Community Pushback: On June 21, 2025, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute in New Mexico canceled a venue booking for an anti-LGBTQ+ event organized by a group linked to Project 2025, highlighting local resistance to the project’s social policies.
- Political Shifts: Paul Dans, former director of Project 2025 at the Heritage Foundation, is reportedly considering a U.S. Senate bid in South Carolina against Lindsey Graham, signaling internal conservative dynamics influenced by the project’s prominence.