What is Project 2025? The proposed plan to overhaul the federal government

ABC News’ Katherine Faulders reports on Project 2025, the 922-page plan put forward by a group of conservative organizations led by the Heritage Foundation, and its ties to former President Trump.
The former president has been distancing himself from it in recent weeks.

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[Benefits]

Only 24 comments showing on a video from a channel with 17 million subscribers? And most of those 24 comments are from bot accounts. Something isn't adding up here.

[labbatelabbate]

America, turning into the Handmaids Tale, what a horror show.

[yoemejamut]

I asked ChatGPT, “Which countries and leaders and types of governments have used policies like Project 2025's Schedule F and what impacts did it have on regular citizen's rights and quality of life?” This is the response:

Policies similar to Project 2025's Schedule F, which aim to shift federal jobs from a merit-based system to a more politically controlled one, have been implemented in various countries throughout history. These policies often involve replacing career civil servants with political appointees, which can have significant impacts on citizens' rights and quality of life. Here’s a look at a few examples:

1. Soviet Union
- Leader : Joseph Stalin
- Policy : Great Purge (1936-1938)
- Government Type : One-Party Socialist State
- Impact : Stalin's Great Purge removed perceived threats within the Communist Party, military, and society. This resulted in widespread executions, imprisonments, and a culture of fear, severely impacting civil liberties, human rights, and quality of life.

2. Italy
- Leader : Benito Mussolini
- Policy : Fascist Centralization (1920s-1930s)
- Government Type : Fascist Dictatorship
- Impact : Mussolini centralized power by purging the bureaucracy of opponents and placing loyalists in key positions. This led to increased state control over all aspects of life, suppression of dissent, and a decrease in individual freedoms, severely affecting citizens' rights and quality of life.

3. Germany
- Leader : Adolf Hitler
- Policy : Gleichschaltung (Coordination) (1933-1934)
- Government Type : Totalitarian Dictatorship
- Impact : Hitler’s policies centralized all governmental and societal institutions under Nazi control. This eradicated political opposition and civil liberties, leading to severe human rights abuses and a drastic decline in quality of life for those not aligned with Nazi ideology.

4. China
- Leader : Mao Zedong
- Policy : Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
- Government Type : One-Party Socialist Republic
- Impact : Mao's Cultural Revolution aimed to purge "counter-revolutionaries" and reassert his control. It led to widespread persecution, destruction of cultural heritage, and severe social and economic disruption, causing immense suffering and a significant decline in quality of life.

5. Russia
- Leader : Vladimir Putin
- Policy : Centralization of Power (2000s)
- Government Type : Federal Semi-Presidential Republic with authoritarian tendencies
- Impact : Putin's restructuring of the bureaucracy to place loyalists in key positions diminished the independence of governmental bodies. This led to increased corruption, reduced political freedoms, and decreased governmental transparency, negatively affecting citizens' rights and overall quality of life.

6. Hungary
- Leader : Viktor Orbán
- Policy : Centralization of Bureaucracy (2010s)
- Government Type : Parliamentary Republic with authoritarian tendencies
- Impact : Orbán's government centralized control over various institutions, including the judiciary and media, through legal and bureaucratic changes. This led to reduced checks and balances, increased corruption, and decreased political and press freedoms, impacting citizens' rights and quality of life.

7. China
- Leader : Xi Jinping
- Policy : Anti-Corruption Campaign (2012-Present)
- Government Type : One-Party Socialist Republic
- Impact : Xi's anti-corruption campaign led to the removal of many officials, consolidating his control. While portrayed as enhancing governance, it also suppressed political dissent and consolidated power, resulting in mixed effects on citizens' rights and increased suppression of freedoms and human rights.

8. Turkey
- Leader : Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Policy : Post-coup Purge (2016)
- Government Type : Presidential Republic with authoritarian tendencies
- Impact : Following the 2016 coup attempt, Erdoğan purged tens of thousands of civil servants, including judges and teachers. This centralization of power led to significant human rights abuses, suppression of political dissent, and decreased judicial independence, negatively impacting citizens' rights and quality of life.

General Impacts on Citizens' Rights and Quality of Life

1. Reduction in Administrative Independence : Centralizing executive control over the bureaucracy often reduces the independence and neutrality of administrative functions, leading to biased decision-making.
2. Increased Corruption : Prioritizing loyalty to the executive over merit can increase corruption and inefficiency within the government, negatively impacting the quality of services provided to citizens.
3. Suppression of Dissent : Such policies can be used to purge political opponents or dissenting voices within the government, leading to broader suppression of political freedoms and human rights.
4. Erosion of Civil Liberties : In authoritarian regimes, centralizing power often comes at the expense of civil liberties, including freedom of speech, assembly, and judicial independence.
5. Public Trust in Government : These policies can lead to a decline in public trust in government institutions, as citizens perceive the administration as self-serving rather than serving the public interest.
6. Quality of Life : The combination of increased corruption, reduced service quality, and suppressed freedoms can result in a lower quality of life for regular citizens.

Understanding the historical and contemporary impacts of similar policies helps to forecast potential outcomes of Project 2025's Schedule F and underscores the importance of balancing effective governance with protecting democratic principles and civil liberties.

[erekriccobuano]

So what is project 2025? All you detail is rhetoric .

[naomimathews]

I am sad Biden has had to step down. His well being and health are important. Thank you for all the service and sacrifice Biden.
This isn't Biden's fight anymore. Where are the younger people? My generation or people in their 40s or 30s even?

[gorbachev-]

As a Brit, I am despairing because we had Brexit and we are frankly paying for it. I also despair because to me, America has always been this beacon of democracy, as imperfect as it is. Trump and this Project 2025 is rather undemocratic. I had ill feelings as soon as I had read the first chapter. America is better than this. I know Biden is old but by God, he doesn't want this Christo-utopian bollocks!

[validpoint]

On my channel, I've started reading straight from the 900 page Project 2025 document itself so you can know what's in there. So far I have 3 videos up. Feel free to check them out!

[ericp]

I heard this exact same perspective on project 2025 from 5 different news channels and you guys all use the same points, like you’re reading from a script, maybe a script provided by the Whitehouse?

[Kayluv]

Idk what any of this means but seems like it could eliminate a lot of Corruption.. The president/gov rn is ran by big corporations.. I’d like for the president to have more power and less corruption… It’s really not a bad idea..It’ll make voting for the right candidate a lot more important tho and we need to be united so one party doesn’t permanently take over

[melvincarrasco]

What enemies ?! Lmao all of y’all corrupt already

[blabberwulf]

VA & DVA is not a corporate private enterprise like Buick was.

[Yellowrose]

Project Democracy of Freedom not Project of 2025..

[RG-]

And the 1619 Project is not loony toons as well?!!

[VegasElement]

I can't vote for Biden. Can't vote for Trump, either. This is such a bad time in U.S. politics.

[thanatosdriver]

Um… did anyone else not have an issue with the actual powers listed in the project or is that just me? Why does a president not get a veto on drugs? Why does department of education need to exist? Why can’t the president fire civil servants? Like this seems like something presidents from both sides of the isle should have access to

[bribengal]

It's like a concept car. It looks cool on the show floor but the one that arrives at the dealership is nothing like it.

[UnrulyRantLord]

Oh hey they're using a green screen too 😂😂😂

[madhava]

why prepare a 900 page document for someone who can't read?

[Draekwon]

“I disagree with some of the things they’re saying, and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal, ” Trump wrote.

[ssp]

I still really don't know what it's about, this was just vague and misleading. i'll find a channel that actually reads the whole thing out.