Article Summary –
Arizona democratic leaders warn that Project 2025, associated with Trump, would result in harmful federal policies including a federal abortion ban, eliminating the Department of Education, and raising taxes on middle-class families by $4,000 annually. The project aims to restructure the executive branch, granting Trump extensive control, including over women’s reproductive rights. Democratic leaders emphasize that electing Kamala Harris is crucial to prevent these outcomes and to protect democracy and individual freedoms.
Ahead of a presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Arizona democratic leaders issued a warning about the harmful repercussions that could come from Project 2025 and Trump’s agenda.
At a Phoenix press conference Monday, Arizona state Sens. Eva Burch and Mitzi Epstein, and Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo criticized Project 2025 and voiced support for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
“We have to stop Donald Trump, JD Vance, and their extremist Project 2025 agenda. We have to elect Vice President Kamala Harris,” Burch said.
What a Project 2025 Presidency Would Look Like
Project 2025 is a federal policy agenda designed to restructure the executive branch, created by former Trump officials in partnership with The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
While Trump denies knowing about Project 2025, at least 140 former Trump administration officials were involved in it, a CNN review found.
“The foundations and organizations that put Project 2025 forward are Trump’s people,” Epstein said. “Any sensible person has to see Project 2025 and Trump go hand in hand.”
Epstein described those involved with Project 2025 as Trump’s “henchmen” who would carry out his orders without question. Trump had the highest staff turnover rate of any president in recent history.
The trio warned that Project 2025 would result in extreme government control over Arizonans’ daily lives, including a federal abortion ban and eliminating the Department of Education.
The agenda also aims to overhaul the Department of Justice, giving Trump unchecked power to retaliate against dissenters.
Project 2025 would raise taxes on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year, cut Social Security and Medicare benefits, and remove protections on capping prescription drug costs.
Epstein highlighted the school lunch program’s potential decimation under Project 2025 as a prime example of its wrong-sidedness.
“Successful people have talked about how the school lunch program was a ladder they needed to get to where they were going in life,” Epstein said.
While Trump dismisses ties to Project 2025, his running mate, JD Vance, has said it contains “good ideas” and supports the agenda.
An Ideological Chasm
Two different visions for America’s future will be on display during the debate, Gallardo said.
“Kamala Harris’ vision will protect our freedom, strengthen democracy, uphold the rule of law, and cut family costs so everyone can succeed,” Gallardo said. “Trump is running to make himself the most powerful president ever, controlling Arizonans’ daily lives.”
Trump has threatened to terminate parts of the Constitution and imprison his political enemies; Project 2025 provides a roadmap to achieve these goals.
“We can’t allow him to destroy our democracy or take away our freedoms,” Gallardo said. “Only Vice President Kamala Harris can stop Donald Trump for good.”
The plan could trigger a nationwide recession by next year, Epstein claimed, closing businesses and eliminating three million jobs.
“Trump wants to control our lives and gain unlimited power,” Epstein said. “We must choose a new way forward and elect leaders who believe in a government run by the people, not corporations.”
Abortion Access Remains in Trump’s Crosshairs
Last week, Trump endorsed Florida’s extreme abortion ban, intending to make it a national reality, giving him control over women’s lives, Burch said.
Burch blamed Trump for the loss of abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned, as he handpicked the deciding Supreme Court justice.
In March, Burch spoke on the Senate floor about her planned abortion for an unviable pregnancy ahead of the state’s 160-year-old abortion ban.
Project 2025 mandates an abortion ban in all 50 states, detailing how Trump could achieve this without Congress. It also outlines how Trump could restrict contraception access and force states to monitor women’s reproductive health.
“Trump’s Project 2025 agenda gives him nearly unrestricted power over women and all Arizonans,” Burch said.
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