Questions, concerns and how it would affect Louisiana

Newly elected President Donald Trump has been associated with Project 2025 for quite some time, and this plan serves as a conservative playbook for a second Trump administration.

There are questions as to whether this controversial plan will be adopted or not during Trump’s new presidential term. The newly elected president has denied that he is associated with the project.

Will newly elected President Donald Trump enact Project 2025?

Prior to Election Day, Trump distanced himself from Project 2025. However, now that Trump will be the commander in chief, there are speculations as to whether he will adopt the conservative policy document during his term.

Paul Dans and Spencer Chretien, who are directing Project 2025 efforts, worked in the previous Trump Administration. Dans was Trump’s former chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management, and Chretien was Trump’s former special assistant and the associate director of Presidential Personnel.

Due to Trump’s ties with Project 2025, speculation is on-going as to if the project, and its plans, will be implemented under a Trump Administration.

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025, created by The Heritage Foundation, is a 900-page policy document outlining conservative interests and various policy proposals. This document is said to target the executive branch, and act as a “conservative blue print.”

According to The Heritage Foundation, policy recommendations within the document are divided into four pillars. The four pillar include a domestic and foreign policy agenda, a personnel database referred to as the “conservative LinkedIn,” a 180-day playbook for the next Presidential Administration, as well as an outline for Presidential Administration Academy training.

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 also details conservative interests regarding the U.S. education system and abortion restrictions.

Project 2025 concerns

In the document, some of the project’s key proposals caused concern among political groups and individuals.

Issues with the document stem from Project 2025’s proposals to gut various federal agencies, eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, require public high school students to take a military entrance assessment, ban abortion drugs nationwide, and to overtake policies such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

How would Project 2025 affect Louisiana?

According to the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning public policy research and advocacy organization, the specific ways in which Project 2025 could negatively impact Louisiana residents are through taxes, social security, healthcare, abortion rights and contraceptives, child care, student loans and public education.

Taxes

Regarding taxes, Project 2025 would shift the tax burden from the wealthy and onto the middle class. The Center for American Progress says that, under this project, a typical family of four in Louisiana would see a tax increase of $2,398 per year.

Social Security

As for Social Security, the Center for American Progress says that Project 2025’s authors have endorsed and supported plans to cut Social Security by raising the retirement age for approximately 74% of Louisiana residents.

Healthcare

Project 2025 also proposes limits or lifetime caps on Medicaid benefits and, according to the Center for American Progress, this would put 109,600 Medicaid enrollees in Louisiana at risk of losing coverage. These residents risk losing coverage because of low income and lack of access to alternative and affordable coverage.

Additionally, by limiting out-of-pocket Medicare drug costs, Project 2025 would increase the cost of prescription medications for nearly 327,110 Louisiana residents.

Abortion Rights and contraception

If adopted, Project 2025 would eliminate various emergency contraceptive medications from free, preventative care requirements. According to the Center for American Progress, this would mean approximately 555,000 women in Louisiana would lose access to free emergency contraception.

Moreover, under the project, the Department of Justice would be instructed to take legal action against local officials who refuse to bring cases against women and doctors who violate state abortion bans.

Child care

If enacted, Project 2025 would eliminate Head Start, which is a program that provides access to free child care and other services. By eliminating Head Start, 18,537 low-income children in Louisiana would be without critical child care, says the Center for American Progress.

Student loans

Under Project 2025, income-driven repayment (IDR) would be replaced with a one-size-fits-all program. Additionally, all borrowers enrolled in existing IDR programs would see an increase in their payments.

The Center for American Progress says that under Project 2025 approximately 101,900 borrowers in Louisiana who are enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan would pay $2,700 to $4,100 more each year.

Public education

Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, as well as Title I, which provides funding that ensures schools with low-income students have the proper resources to provide a high-quality education, beyond what’s supported by local property tax revenue.

According to the Center for American Progress, eliminating Title I would cause the loss of approximately 5,076 teaching positions, which serve around 88,834 Louisiana students.