A significant portion of the controversial Project 2025 policy manifesto has been translated into official government action during the first year of Donald Trump's second presidential term, an investigation has found.
From Blueprint to Policy: A Swift Transformation
Approximately half of the nearly 1,000 recommendations within the ultra-conservative Project 2025 document have been adopted as official policies, presidential directives, or core administrative goals. The blueprint, authored by the Heritage Foundation think tank in 2023, was long touted as a potential roadmap for a second Trump term, despite repeated denials from the former president and his allies.
This alignment is unsurprising given the number of Trump administration officials who contributed to Project 2025. Key figures include Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, border czar Tom Homan, FCC chairman Brendan Carr, and former CIA director John Ratcliffe. This stands in contrast to President Trump's June 2024 statement where he claimed, "I know nothing about Project 2025" and "I have no idea who is behind it."
Overhauling the Federal Workforce
One of the most significant areas of overlap is the restructuring of the executive branch. A central goal has been to reduce the size of the federal workforce and ensure remaining employees are aligned with the president's agenda. On his first day back in office, Trump reinstated an executive order creating Schedule F, reclassifying around 50,000 civil servants into at-will roles, making them far easier to dismiss.
Furthermore, control over the federal hiring process has been shifted to the Office of Personnel Management, as Project 2025 advised. While not explicitly mentioned in the manifesto, the administration's Department of Government Efficiency has aggressively pursued workforce cuts, contributing to approximately 317,000 employees leaving government service.
Policy Shifts in Education and Immigration
In education, the administration, led by Secretary Linda McMahon, is actively working to phase out the Department of Education—a key Project 2025 recommendation. While abolishing the department requires Congressional approval, the administration has implemented related policies: dismantling student loan forgiveness, removing protections for transgender students, scrapping diversity initiatives, and promoting school choice.
On immigration, the administration has not only matched but exceeded Project 2025's harsh recommendations. Policies include tightening work visas, penalising sanctuary cities, expanding travel bans, and seeking to redefine birthright citizenship. The administration has also deployed the National Guard to assist with border operations and in sanctuary cities, another suggestion from the manifesto.
Rolling Back Social and Environmental Protections
The administration has swiftly acted to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies across federal departments. It has also removed protections for transgender individuals by legally redefining "sex" and reinstating a ban on transgender personnel in the military.
Environmental and social policies have also seen changes aligned with the conservative blueprint. The administration has cut funding for green energy projects and public media like NPR and PBS. It has also moved to eliminate Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and rolled back environmental protections to favour increased oil and gas drilling.
As the administration moves into 2026, observers expect a continued focus on implementing remaining Project 2025 goals, particularly those concerning policy towards China, which required more time to enact.
