At Historic Hearing, Huffman Highlights Dangers of Trump’s Project 2025

Hearing Underscored Devastating Harm of Project 2025 on Democracy, Reproductive Freedom, Workers, Seniors, and More

September 26, 2024

Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), Founder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force and Member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, helped lead an historic hearing on Trump’s Project 2025 and its devastating impact on families across America. The hearing was hosted by the Steering and Policy Committee in collaboration with House Democratic Leadership and the Stop Project 2025 Task Force.

 

Rep. Huffman delivers remarks at historic Project 2025 hearing

Representative Huffman highlighted some of the most prominent threats posed by Project 2025 and how a second Trump administration would consolidate power in the Oval Office so that Trump and his loyalists can seize total control of the government and impose their agenda on every person in America. Featuring testimony from everyday people who know firsthand how the policies of Trump’s Project 2025 have or will hurt them and their families, the hearing explored the impact of proposals to criminalize abortion nationwide, hurt the middle class with higher costs, cut taxes for the wealthiest corporations and billionaires, and end Social Security and Medicare as we know it.

A full transcript of Congressman Huffman’s testimony is available below and full video is available here.

Transcription:

PART ONE

REP. HUFFMAN: Trump’s Project 2025 is not some fresh set of ideas. It’s a culmination of years of work by extreme MAGA Republicans.

When he was president, Donald Trump hand-picked three extreme Supreme Court justices – the same justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.

This summer, those Trump-appointed justices gave Trump a huge gift: absolute immunity from criminal charges. Think about that. Donald Trump, back in the White House, with a blank check to do whatever he wants without ever facing criminal prosecution.

What will Trump do with all of that power? Now we know.

Because his loyalists wrote it down.

It’s called Project 2025. Let’s take a look at how it came together, and who was involved…

[VIDEO BEGINS]

PART TWO

REP. HUFFMAN: So, Project 2025 is Trump’s manifesto to turn our federal government into a tool of MAGA extremism... And the first step is to eliminate checks on presidential power – anything and anyone that could stand in Trump’s way: Firing tens of thousands of career civil servants and then replacing them with MAGA loyalists. Directing the FBI, the Justice Department, and the IRS to investigate Trump’s perceived enemies. Even deploying active-duty military on our streets.

It’s downright scary.

More than 140 former Trump officials contributed to Trump’s Project 2025. Extremists like Stephen Miller and sycophants like Mark Meadows.

And while most of the Trump Project 2025 blueprint is online – and you can read it – they’ve kept a critical part hidden from the public eye.

The architects of Trump’s Project 2025 acknowledge they have a secret 180-Day Playbook of early actions for Trump to swiftly enact their extreme agenda – they call it their “fourth pillar.”

Why publish 922 pages of breathtakingly extreme proposals, but keep the implementation plan secret?

We can only assume that Project 2025’s secret “Fourth Pillar” for the first days and weeks of a second Trump presidency is even more alarming than the parts of Trump’s Project 2025 that they were willing to publish.

That should scare every American.

Because the published parts of Trump’s Project 2025 are frightening enough, beginning with criminalizing abortion nationwide with no exceptions.

At this time, I want to yield to my friend from Massachusetts, a critical partner on our Stop Project 2025 Task Force, Representative Ayanna Pressley.

—

This Congress, Rep. Huffman was elected to serve on the powerful House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is responsible for appointing members of the House Democratic Caucus to committee seats and shaping caucus priorities.

Rep. Huffman founded the Stop Project 2025 Task Force in June 2024 to raise awareness about Project 2025 and coordinate the effort to examine, preempt and counteract it.

As the leader of the Task Force, Rep. Huffman has repeatedly sounded the alarm on Project 2025, a bucket list of extremist policies that would uproot every government agency to take over the government, eliminate checks and balances, and roll back rights and freedoms.

  • In October 2024, the Task Force is supporting House Democrats in holding local roundtables and townhalls around the country to examine, discuss, and highlight Project 2025 with their communities.
  • In September 2024, Rep. Huffman co-hosted a Special Order Hour and Week of Action in collaboration with House Democrats to highlight the threat of Project 2025.
  • On August 6, 2024, Rep. Huffman demanded Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts come before Congress and release Project 2025’s secret 180-day plan. Following the Heritage Foundation’s failure to meet the requested deadline, Huffman and his Task Force launched a tip line for members of the public to come forward with any information about the hidden “Fourth Pillar” of Project 2025.
  • On July 30, 2024, Rep. Huffman issued a statement on reports that Paul Dans is stepping down from his role as the head of Project 2025.
  • On July 17, 2024, Rep. Huffman sent a letter calling out the FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr for crafting part of Project 2025 in his official capacity as an executive-level employee of the federal government.

###