by Ken Abramczyk
Project 2025, the conservative playbook for a second Trump presidency, will destroy our system of checks and balances in our beloved democracy. The Heritage Foundation’s “mandate for leadership,” Project 2025 is a blueprint for former President Donald Trump to advance the Foundation’s agenda to dismantle federal agencies, slash federal spending and programs, and restructure the federal government.
The Supreme Court set the wheels in motion for unchecked governance for the wealthy with its 2010 Citizens United ruling, which allows rich Americans to donate massive amounts of money to political candidates, dwarfing what middle-class Americans can donate. After the ruling, the wealthiest donors wielded their financial clout through Super PACs and expanded dark money’s reach through nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors. [1]
The Supreme Court ruled on July 1, 2024, that presidents are allowed immunity if their actions fall under of official duties. The court ruled that former presidents can never be prosecuted for actions related to the core powers of their office.
Project 2025 further fuels that destruction of our checks and balances.
Project 2025 anchors itself in what legal scholars call the “unitary executive theory.” According to American Progress, this theory “contravenes the traditional separation of powers” by vesting presidents with almost complete control over the federal bureaucracy, including congressionally designated independent agencies such as the Department of Justice and the FBI. [2]
“The unitary executive theory is designed to sharply diminish Congress’ imperative role to act as a check and balance on the executive branch with tools such as setting up independent agencies to make expert decisions and by limiting presidents’ ability to fire career civil servants for purely political reasons,” writes Michael Sozan and Ben Olinsky, senior fellows with American Progress. Olinsky is the Senior Vice President of Structural Reform and Governance for American Progress. [3]
Removing the congressional role as a check and balance on presidential power—combined with a Supreme Court willing to allocate almost unlimited authority to the president—sets the table for authoritarian, strongarm rule. Which rules will this president enforce? Who will he remove when they challenge this newfound authority? How will he impose his will across all governmental agencies to try to prosecute political enemies on a revenge tour? Will he cozy up to the oligarchs by appointing cloying political shills who will please the greenhouse gas producers by removing or restricting environmental regulations?
Adhering to the rule of law is critical to our democracy—just as importantly, so is the following of certain norms in politics and governance.
According to Sozan and Olinsky, Project 2025 breaks that barrier in its quest for an imperial government. They write, “When elected leaders have no loyalty to traditional pro-democracy norms, they become unshackled to bend the government to their political will.” These leaders may try to stop the peaceful transfer of power, ask for loyalty from the FBI, intimidate the news media into submission, and silence dissenters through the use of the military. They may assail judges who stand in the way of agendas, divert federal funds to pet projects by circumventing Congress, and allow corruption, nepotism, and conflicts of interest.
Project 2025 allows the abolition of civil service, slashing the federal workforce and replacing what is left with presidential loyalists. If Trump is elected, there will be no loyalty to the Constitution—there will only be loyalty to Trump. After all, expertise only gets in the way. The president should be a king, and every level of government should serve him, not America.
Project 2025 states that the next administration “must not cede such authority to nonpartisan experts.” So, a scientist with water quality experience working in the EPA can be replaced by a Trump supporter with no experience in that field. The FBI director must show fealty to Trump and arrest political opponents, journalists, content creators, or even judges who are deemed a threat because they question, challenge, or criticize the president. Project 2025 ignores Congress as a co-equal branch of government. It creates a structure and a system for a president who will answer to no one. [4]
Project 2025 outlines a plan for the DOJ to sue district attorneys who use prosecutorial discretion with which MAGA Republicans disagree, suggesting that Trump could retaliate for prosecutions against him. [5]
Voters can research these issues further by following the links presented here, but you get the idea.
We need to stand up to these threats to our American way of life and our freedoms. We need to ensure that Kamala Harris wins the race to the presidency, and we can help by voting as well as talking to our neighbors and family members, encouraging them and ensuring that they get out and vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting has already started, so to be sure and cast your ballot for the Harris-Walz team and stop Trump and the fascism that is threatening our American way of life.
We’re not going back!
Ken Abramczyk serves as a volunteer writer. The opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Cherokee County Democratic Committee (CCDC). The CCDC has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article.
