SEE: Pressley raises alarm over far-right manifesto “Project 2025”

A thousand-page list of extremist policies would destroy the federal government as we know it

WASHINGTON – During a hearing before the House Oversight Committee Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) raised the alarm over the far-right manifesto “Project 2025,” a thousand-page list of extremist policies that would uproot every government agency and disrupt the lives of every person who calls America home.

During her hearing, Rep. Pressley emphasized the harm of Schedule F, an executive order that will replace tens of thousands of government officials with partisan sycophants and destroy government infrastructure. She also discussed other harmful policies advocated for in Project 2025, including eliminating the Department of Education; expanding and accelerating the application of the federal death penalty; nationwide book bans in schools; and the federal government’s ban on words like “diversity,” “gender,” “reproductive health” and “abortion.”

The full transcript of her interview with the witness is below and the full video is available here.

Transcript: Pressley raises alarm over far-right ‘Project 2025’ manifesto
House Committee on Oversight and Reform
May 22, 2024

REPRESENTATIVE. PRESSLEY: Thank you for being here, Mr. Shriver.

The federal government has the largest and most diverse workforce in the country, and Schedule F, an executive order that will replace tens of thousands of civil servants with partisan sycophants, will destroy our government infrastructure.

It is critical that we understand that far-right extremists who support Schedule F see it as a means to an end. This is their path to introducing widespread, wholesale political violence.

One thing I know for sure about Trump and his sycophants is that they telegraph their harm.

Mr. Shriver, are you familiar with Project 2025?

MR. SHRIVER: Congresswoman, I read about it.

REPRESENTATIVE. PRESSLEY: For many people this is the first time they are hearing about this and we need to raise the alarm.

Project 2025 is a far-right manifesto. It’s a thousand-page list of extremist policies that would uproot every government agency and disrupt the lives of every person who calls this country home.

I won’t describe every aspect in detail, but I will share some of the most important points:

The Department of Education would be eliminated, cutting students off from civil rights protections and ending core Title 1 funding for K-12 schools.

The Department of Justice would go on a murder spree. It would rush to use the death penalty and expand it to even more people, circumventing due process protections.

Project 2025 not only calls for a nationwide ban on books in schools, but also creates a list of federally banned words that would be removed from the quote: “every existing federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant and legislative act, end of quote.”

Here are just a few words from that list: diversity, gender, reproductive health, and of course, conservatives want to ban the word “abortion.”

Therefore, abortion care would be unavailable and illegal, regardless of where you live.

Take it from them: on page six of its textbook, Project 2025 states, quoting “The Dobbs the decision is just the beginning” – quote at the end.

People even in my district, Massachusetts 7^volleader in the field of reproductive justice, would be punished for using primary care.

We could have an entire hearing right now on how these policies will literally ruin and end lives – and I haven’t even touched on proposals on housing, climate change, worker protections, and more.

If passed, Project 2025 will destroy the federal government as we know it.

I am asking for unanimous consent to enter into the record an Associated Press article titled “Conservative Groups Develop Plan to Dismantle the U.S. Government and Replace It with Trump’s Vision.”

CHAIR: I ordered this without any objection.

REPRESENTATIVE. PRESSLEY: Some may wonder why this is relevant to today’s hearing before the Office of Personnel Management.

Mr. Shriver, do you know who the director of Project 2025 is?

MR. SHRIVER: No, Congresswoman, no.

REPRESENTATIVE. PRESSLEY: The director is Paul Dans, former OPM chief of staff during the Trump administration.

I am also concerned about the ethics of Mr. Dans using non-public information or relationships developed during his time in government service to lead and support this far-right, extremist agenda.

We need oversight and accountability for Project 2025.

Thank you and I return the favor.

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