Project 1984: What Trump's re-election portends for civil and political rights in America

The authors of the project propose prohibiting states from imposing their own environmental standards for vehicles. In this scenario, California would not be able to continue its actions to gradually ban internal combustion engines. Proposing to deregulate the extraction of oil, gas, and other fossil fuels, the Project team also suggests blocking initiatives to expand the power grid through renewable projects. Furthermore, they propose abolishing greenhouse gas emission standards.

• Health care and abortion

In the health sector, according to Project 2025, the government should promote the image of the traditional family. Federal insurance companies are being advised to ban coverage of gender-affirmative procedures and emergency contraception, and the Food and Drug Administration is being recommended to revoke licenses for the abortion drug mifepristone (which accounts for about half of all abortions).

Project 2025 also recommends utilizing the Comstock Act of 1873, which prohibits the use of the mail to send pornography, obscene material, and abortifacients, in the prosecution of companies and individuals offering mail-order abortion drugs. Under threat of federal funding withdrawal, state authorities are expected to disclose statistics on all abortion procedures, including patients’ place of residence, in order to curb “abortion tourism” to states where the procedure is legal.

The federal government is encouraged to promote private health insurance, cut spending on the Medicaid insurance program, and tighten qualification criteria. Medical organizations that are not included in the patient’s insurance package would be allowed to substantially overcharge them for healthcare services.

• Taxes

On the economic front, Project 2025 proposes even more tax cuts than Trump's 2017 reform, which expires precisely in 2025. The Project recommends cutting the corporate income tax from 20% to 18% (Trump's reform cut it from 35%) and the capital gains tax from 20% to 15%. It also proposes eliminating the investment income tax altogether.

In the proposed scenario, income tax would be divided into two categories, with rates of 15% and 30% instead of the current seven brackets ranging from 10% to 37%. The authors believe that the U.S. should shift toward a more regressive tax system in which the rate decreases with the increase of revenue, a move that would affect customs duties, sales, and cash circulation taxes, among others. As a result, the tax burden on wealthy Americans would decrease, while low-income and middle-class Americans would pay more in taxes.

• Immigration

The authors of Project 2025 insist that the U.S. authorities conduct the largest operation in the country's history to detain and deport illegal immigrants. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 10 million people are living in the U.S. without a legal status. Many have been in the country for years, and approximately 1 million are married to U.S. citizens. Project 2025 proposes involving the army in implementing the mass deportations while requiring state and municipal law enforcement to assist. Conservatives also want to roll out a network of “temporary detention camps” in Texas and other states.

They also look to complicate the asylum application process and introduce a fee for filing the application. Project 2025 also calls for the repeal of the DACA program — which granted residency to the children of undocumented migrants who came to the U.S. at a young age — potentially affecting 500,000 people. Another proposed restriction is a ban on federal housing subsidies for citizens sheltering illegal aliens. States and municipalities are expected to inform the federal government about the immigration status of taxpayers and driver's license recipients as a condition of receiving funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.