Kerby Anderson

One of the attacks on the Trump campaign is to whip up voter fears about Project 2025. Kamala Harris said this on the campaign trail: "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party--and unite our nation--to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda." Her campaign website claims that Project 2025 will "strip away our freedoms" and "abolish checks and balances.”

Project 2025 is a 922-page document created through the Heritage Foundation by 400 experts. It is essentially a conservative wish list of policy initiatives these experts would like implemented. When asked about it, Donald Trump said he had not read it and it doesn't represent his policy goals. More recently, the leader of the project (Paul Dans) stepped down from the project. One of the Trump campaign advisors applauded the action and proclaimed: “Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed.” Although the document touches on just about every aspect of the federal government, it appears that the greatest concern from Kamala Harris and other Democrats is the section on how to rein in the administrative state. Although a Trump administration would like to reform the civil service system so it would be easier to remove some governmental workers, I think it unlikely any meaningful reform will occur. I think American voters should welcome more accountability from unelected bureaucrats, but few in Congress seem ready for such reform. Another attack on Project 2025 is the fallacious argument that it would radically change Social Security. Donald Trump has made it clear he has no desire to reform Social Security or any other entitlement. Scaring people about Project 2025 may be an effective campaign strategy, but it isn't based on reality.