Tracking the Implementation of Project 2025 and How to Fight Back

Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services is withholding $27.5 million in federal funding for birth control, STD testing, cancer screenings, and other reproductive health services from Planned Parenthood and other Title X (a federal family planning program) participants. The program is already serving more than a million fewer patients a year than it used to because of similar cuts in Trump’s first term.

Donald Trump nominated three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, paving the way for state abortion bans and a path to a national ban.

While a national abortion ban hasn’t happened yet, Trump has already reversed major protections for abortion rights and ended support for military service members who need to travel to get fertility treatments or abortions. He is also inserting “personhood” language — the idea that embryos are children from the moment of fertilization — into federal policy, which sets the stage for nationwide bans on abortion and IVF.

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., told Fox News that Trump has asked him to study the safety of abortion pills, even though we already know they’re safe. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA over two decades ago. Doctors and scientists have proven that it’s safer than Tylenol or Viagra. And the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association have shown the U.S. Supreme Court that mifepristone can be life-saving for women who are miscarrying.

Donald Trump’s anti-abortion, anti-science Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., admitted in his confirmation hearings that the administration is reviewing medication abortion – the most widely used form of abortion care.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that she’d “love to work with” state attorneys general who are suing doctors for providing telehealth and mailing abortion pills.

The word “abortion” is one of more than 250 that are now being removed from government websites and documents.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, now leading the Department of Justice, has a history of attacking reproductive healthcare as Florida’s Attorney General, and has supported national restrictions at the federal level. Now she’ll be able to weaponize U.S. law against women and doctors in all 50 states.

Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 20, 2025, instructing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have already filed a bill to end the department. Legally, only Congress can eliminate the Department of Education. But Trump and McMahon have already cut $900 million worth of funding and fired 50% of the Department’s employees.

Head Start programs provide early education to 800,000 children. In early January, Trump ordered a freeze on federal grants, blocking funding for dozens of Head Start programs serving 20,000 students in 23 states. Head Start was supposed to be exempt from the freeze, but it took more than 10 days for their grant access to resume. In the meantime, many programs had to shut down or prepare to shut down, with concerns about paying staff and other bills. This caused chaos and disruption for the teachers, families, and children who rely on Head Start, and could be a sign of what’s to come.

Title I funding helps provide an equal, high-quality education for all kids by giving funding to school districts with low-income families. With Trump cutting the Department of Education’s workforce by half, most of the employees who collected and analyzed data to determine where Title I funding should go, and how much, were fired. We don’t know yet how that will hurt the distribution of funds, but Title I programs could get moved to another department, or funding could be changed to block grants to the states, which will have much less oversight.

Trump issued an executive order in support of using federal funds for private school voucher programs instead of public schools.

The MAGA supermajority on the U.S. Supreme court has already ruled that a state’s “tuition assistance” (private school voucher program) can be used for private, religious schools.

A group of Republican-led states sued last year to block the SAVE Plan, putting it on hold for eight million borrowers. So far, courts seem likely to end the program along with two others, and Congress is also considering a law to repeal it. A Department of Education employee said “We’ve been told ‘SAVE’ is not coming back in any way, shape, or form.” Ending these programs will take away affordable loan repayment programs for millions of people.

Cutting 50% of the Department of Education will also hurt six million Pell Grant recipients, federal student loan recipients, and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applicants. While Trump can’t stop the funding for these programs himself, firing so many of the employees who worked to disperse the funds and support borrowers will severely disrupt the services they provide.

In a hint of what’s to come for teachers, the Department of Homeland Security has ended the collective bargaining agreement for Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) employees. Collective bargaining lets groups of employees come together, usually through a union, to negotiate for things like better pay, benefits, and working conditions. It’s expected that the Department of Education will also take away this option from teachers’ unions.

Donald Trump issued an executive order to remove funding from any schools that have Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs (which prepare kids to navigate a diverse and changing world), allow trans students to exist in class, and/or teach honest lessons about race and history. The order will also bring back Trump’s 1776 Commission to dictate what schools should be allowed to teach nationwide.

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced that it was ending all guidance related to fighting book bans, dismissing all the book ban complaints under current investigation, and removing the person who investigated unlawful book removals.

Trump has announced policy changes or executive orders on tariffs on a weekly, if not daily, basis since inauguration day. These constant threats and changes to policy are sinking the stock market and causing concerns about a recession. Other countries are planning retaliatory tariffs against American goods which will hurt American businesses. And Trump tariffs are expected to raise prices on goods for average Americans because the countries won’t absorb the costs — they will pass them on to consumers.

More than 70 million Americans rely on Social Security benefits, but Donald Trump and Elon Musk falsely claim that it’s full of widespread waste and fraud. Musk has even called it “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” and a leaked memo from the acting Social Security Administration commissioner seems to call for privatizing parts of Social Security.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has announced that they will cut 7,000 Social Security Administration employees and close six regional offices. They also planned to end some over-the-phone services, forcing seniors to get those services in person or online — which can be a challenge for those without internet access or with limited mobility — but they quietly reversed that decision after receiving backlash. Still, the reduction in staff and office closures will overwhelm the remaining field offices, cause chaos and hurt seniors.

The director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought (also a lead author of Project 2025), ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to stop all its work and fired dozens of its employees. The CFPB was created after the 2008 financial crisis to watch over the financial industry. It protects Americans by regulating the fairness, safety, and legality of financial products and services, like mortgages, credit cards, and other loans.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency fired hundreds of employees at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), the agency responsible for ensuring the safety and stability of the money we individual Americans have in banks.

“Conversion therapy,” which tries to force LGBTQ+ people into being straight, has been discredited by all major medical and psychological associations and is proven to cause serious harm. Yet the U.S. Supreme Court — with a Trump-appointed MAGA majority — has agreed to review a case that could overturn a ban on conversion therapy in Colorado. Twenty states have similar bans. A Supreme Court ruling would have national impact.

One orders the U.S. government to only recognize two sexes and orders federal offices, including those that issue government IDs and passports, to only recognize two sexes. Personnel records of federal employees will also be held to this definition and federal facilities like prisons will also have to comply.

Another order bans transgender athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Not only does this take away opportunities for trans girls, but it subjects all girls to the possibility of an unnecessary physical examination.

Another order restricts access to healthcare for transgender people. The U.S. Supreme Court, with a Trump-appointed MAGA majority, will decide soon if the Constitution protects healthcare for transgender kids.

And Trump also issued an executive order making it illegal for schools to recognize transgender students by name or pronouns.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in the federal government aim to eliminate discrimination, workplace harassment, and unfair pay. But Trump issued an executive order that ends all of these programs. Agency websites have been removed, and even agency and program websites that are still active are removing references to diversity, equity, inclusion, and related topics.

He issued another executive order that rescinds past Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and encourages private businesses to end similar initiatives. It also instructs federal agencies to review private corporations, non-profits, foundations, educational institutions, and medical associations for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and assess if they should be subject to federal lawsuits.

In a third executive order, Trump removed efforts to protect federal job applicants from discrimination based on race or gender.

Trump issued an executive order that ends Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in the military and at the Department of Homeland Security, even though they are proven to bring more quality, productivity, and success to groups and organizations.

An Office of Personnel Management memo placed all federal employees in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion roles on leave.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) closed all of its environmental justice offices (11 total), ending their work to address how pollution disproportionately harms communities of color. It also cancelled 400 grants for environmental justice and diversity initiatives.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began conducting raids, arrests, and deportations of immigrants. They have also started looking for more facilities to detain people, like Guantánamo Bay.

While they’ve said they would be focusing on arresting and deporting criminals, their own data shows that less than half of the people they’ve arrested so far are convicted criminals, and only 1/3 have pending criminal charges. That means innocent people without criminal records, some of whom came to the U.S. through legal pathways, are being arrested and detained.

Trump deported hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador on March 15 citing a rarely used 18th century law that is meant only for wartime. His administration ignored a federal judge’s order to turn the planes around. Several of the people deported seem to have no ties to the gangs Trump and ICE claimed to be targeting, and have no known criminal record.

Trump issued an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and ordering that it be reevaluated on a regular basis to determine if it should be resumed.

Trump issued an executive order on immigration that included ending the “CBP One” applications for immigration — the only way people arriving at the U.S. Mexico border seeking asylum could request appointments — and reinstated a policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico if they have a request being processed.

Trump issued an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and ordering that it be reevaluated on a regular basis to determine if it should be resumed. This humanitarian program was authorized by Congress in 1980 to help refugees legally settle in the U.S. if they were fleeing persecution due to race, religion, nationality, or politics. It has helped millions of asylum seekers find safety and security. Ending the program harms vulnerable people and families, including U.S. military allies, people fleeing religious persecution, and people being targeted by gangs in other countries.

Trump issued an executive order ending birthright citizenship — a long held legal principle protected by the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. At least 20 states have challenged this order in court and many judges have blocked it as unconstitutional. Now, Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow his order to move forward.

Trump issued an executive order to establish the White House Faith Office led by conservative evangelical pastor, Paula White-Cain, whose megachurch in Florida was investigated by the U.S. Senate and found to have misused its tax-exempt, charitable funds, including a down payment for a condo in Trump Tower in New York City.

The Department of Transportation issued a memo stating that projects should give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average. Promoting large families and combating declining birth rates is a priority for Christian Nationalism.

The Trump-appointed supermajority on the U.S. Supreme court has already ruled that it is okay to funnel public tax dollars to private religious schools with little to no oversight.

Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned 1100+ EPA employees by email that they could be fired at any time, and more than 100 have already been placed on leave.

The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo from its director, Russell Vought (who was a lead author on Project 2025), ordering federal agencies to begin massive layoffs, which will include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Trump issued an executive order pulling the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and other similar commitments to combat climate change. The Paris Agreement is an international treaty signed by all members of the United Nations, agreeing to take specific actions to fight climate change.

Trump issued an executive order that reverses many federal actions and programs that protect the environment and fight climate change. This includes: removing policies that regulated mining; ending energy efficiency standards for appliances and vehicles; and ending incentives for manufacturing, automotive, and appliance industries to produce energy efficient products.

Another executive order allows for Alaskan land to be leased and developed for energy and natural resource projects.

Trump revoked Biden-era efforts to address climate change, make climate change a priority in foreign policy, and reduce single-use plastic by the government.

Trump has ended $20 billion in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants for programs that addressed climate change. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will stop funding studies on the health effects of climate change.

Trump rolled back S.E.C. rules that require companies to report on their impact on climate and the environment.

Trump nominated Kathleen Sgamma, a professional advocate for the oil and gas industry to lead the Bureau of Land Management.

Trump nominated three U.S. Supreme Court Justices who overturned the Chevron Doctrine in 2024. This gave federal judges the power to disregard the expertise of federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect our environment and natural resources when interpreting laws or implementing environmental regulations.

The Unleashing American Energy executive order allows for energy production on public land and waters.

Two more executive orders allow for increased deforestation for timber production, including plans to work around endangered species protections. Following these executive orders, the Department of Agriculture removed environmental protections from more than half of the land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, opening them for logging.

Trump issued an executive order halting all federal programs for wind farms.

The Unleashing American Energy executive order and the Unleashing Alaska’s Resource Potential executive order both allow for energy production on public land and waters, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Trump has reversed many policies that were aimed at reducing prescription drug prices.

Medicaid provides health insurance for people with low income or disabilities. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that Republicans will have to cut Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program in order to meet the goals of the budget they’re currently pushing through Congress. And Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency are already reviewing Medicare and Medicaid for cuts.

Federal staffing and budget cuts have cut or reduced National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that fund medical research, like cancer prevention.

Trump issued an executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency that promotes public health and safety around the world, including global responses to health emergencies. The order also ends U.S. involvement with the WHO Pandemic Agreement and International Health Regulations.

The Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works to prevent domestic terrorism and mass shootings. 20% of its employees have been fired by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DHS also cut $20 million for dozens of other programs that also stop terrorism and school shootings.

Trump issued an executive order shutting down the U.S. Agency for Global Media. While it is not an FBI program, the Agency, which includes the Voice of America news outlet, provides award-winning, objective, and balanced news all over the world to almost 360 million people in almost 50 languages, combating propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation spread by other governments.

Trump issued an executive order to create a centralized payment system under the Department of Government Efficiency, giving them  the power to review, approve, or reject federal payments — power that the constitution grants to Congress.

Trump issued an executive order giving the President control over independent regulatory agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which have traditionally been set up by Congress to be independent of Executive Branch control. These agencies oversee product safety, consumer safety, and financial stability in markets and banks.

Trump issued an executive order on Inauguration Day that removes Biden-era federal workforce protections and reinstates “Schedule F” to make federal workers easier to fire. The memo also states that federal employees “are required to faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability, consistent with their constitutional oath and the vesting of executive authority solely in the President.”

The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo from director Russell Vought, also a lead author on Project 2025, ordering federal agencies to begin massive layoffs.

So far, under the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), more than 200,000 federal employees have been fired from more than a dozen agencies, in addition to 75,000 federal employees that accepted buyouts. Two judges so far have ordered the administration to rehire 24,000 probationary workers, but the U.S. Supreme Court has put those orders on hold and will review the cases.

The White House issued a memo directing the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget to review all Career Senior Executive Service officials to make sure they “aligned to implement my [Trump] agenda.”

Trump issued an executive order instructing the Attorney General and the Department of Justice to investigate and punish federal departments and agencies, and the Director of National Intelligence to investigate and punish the Intelligence Community, for work that was done under the Biden administration that Trump dislikes.

Trump issued an executive order revoking security clearances of former federal officials who took actions under the Biden administration that Trump didn’t like.

Many lawyers in the Department of Justice (DOJ) have represented Trump in his personal legal cases. Pam Bondi, Attorney General, was one of the lawyers who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial. Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General, defended Trump in two criminal cases brought by the DOJ as well as the case in New York where Trump was convicted of 34 felonies. And Emil Bove, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, has also defended Trump previously.

On March 14, 2025, Trump gave a speech to Department of Justice employees in which he complained about his “enemies,” calling them “scum” and promising to investigate and “expel” them.

Trump’s pick for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — the country’s highest ranking military officer — is retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dan “Razin” Caine. He has not served in any of the roles that are legally required for his nomination, but Trump waived the requirement. Trump publicly shared that when they first met, Caine told him he’d kill for him.

Trump signed an executive order instructing many of his cabinet members and their departments to get more involved in how states conduct elections, from inspecting voting equipment to investigating voters. The order also outlines new requirements for voter registration that will make it more difficult for tens of millions of Americans to vote, especially married women, immigrants, transgender people, and first-time voters. At the same time, Republicans in Congress have prioritized passing the SAVE Act, which would make those same voter restrictions the law.