By Lisa Mascaro | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A group of conservative organizations is gearing up for a potential second term for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Their objective is to dismantle the federal government and replace it with a vision aligned with Trump’s own ideals. Led by the well-established Heritage Foundation think tank and fueled by former Trump administration officials, this effort serves as a government-in-waiting for Trump’s return or any candidate who shares their values and can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024.
The ambitious project, known as “Project 2025,” involves a comprehensive 1,000-page handbook and the recruitment of an “army” of Americans. The goal is to establish the necessary civic infrastructure to take immediate control, reshape, and eliminate what Republicans criticize as the “deep state” bureaucracy. This includes the termination of up to 50,000 federal workers.
Paul Dans, director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project and a former Trump administration official, expressed the need for a flood of conservatives to come to Washington and serve this cause. He emphasized the transformative nature of this opportunity and called upon individuals to set aside their professional lives for a once-in-a-lifetime moment of service.
This unprecedented effort involves numerous right-wing organizations, many of which are new to Washington. It represents a departure from traditional conservative approaches that focused on limiting the federal government through tax cuts and spending reductions. Instead, Trump-era conservatives aim to internally dismantle the “administrative state” by removing federal employees who hinder the president’s agenda and replacing them with like-minded officials who are eager to enact the new executive’s vision.
The objective is to avoid the challenges faced during Trump’s initial term, such as unpreparedness, difficulty securing Senate confirmation for Cabinet nominees, and resistance from lawmakers, government workers, and even Trump’s own appointees. Project 2025 proposals are inspired by Trump but are also gaining prominence among other Republicans, including potential rivals Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy.
This collaborative effort ensures that if Trump were to win a second term, the Heritage coalition would provide the necessary personnel to carry forward his unfinished business in the White House. According to Russ Vought, a former Trump administration official and current president at the conservative Center for Renewing America, the new president’s inauguration would mark the beginning of dismantling the administrative state.
A significant aspect of the new president’s agenda involves reinstating Schedule F, a Trump-era executive order that would reclassify a large number of federal employees as at-will workers, making them easier to dismiss. President Biden revoked this executive order upon taking office, but Trump and other presidential hopefuls pledge to reinstate it. Critics argue that Schedule F would create chaos in the civil service and undermine the professional workforce that was established during President Jimmy Carter’s administration.
While Heritage’s comprehensive book presents a mix of longstanding conservative policies and bold, attention-grabbing proposals from the Trump era, it is intended to serve as a practical guidebook for the next president. The project takes into account the legal principle of unitary executive power, enhancing the president’s authority to act independently and bypass Congress when necessary. For example, it suggests appointing allies to acting administrative roles to circumvent Senate confirmation.
Despite the determined efforts of the Heritage coalition, critics raise concerns about authoritarian tendencies and the potential negative consequences of empowering the president to such an extent. According to Philip Wallach, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, some proposals appear to blur the line between fantasy and reality, undermining the democratic principles of the government.
Nevertheless, the Heritage coalition is actively recruiting individuals across America to fill federal jobs and establish a trained workforce ready to implement their agenda. They are actively engaging with potential recruits, even visiting events like the Iowa State Fair to garner support. It may seem counterintuitive, but as Dans explained, joining the government to shrink it is the lesson learned from the Trump era on how to regain control.
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