Project 2025 Table of Contents + Links For Info On Each Author

The Heritage Foundation has the 800+ page Project 2025 posted online.  It outlines the steps to be taken when President Trump takes office. While Trump recently said he knows nothing about Project 2025, this is clearly untrue [how unexpected].  Many of the authors of sections of the report worked in the Trump administration.  

I recently read someone who suggested downloading a copy of the report because now that it is getting attention in the media and is likely to become a target in the president campaign, they might take it down.  So I've downloaded it and you can download it here.  I promise you this will become the focus of much attention in the election.

As I said, there are over 800 pages.  So as my first blog post about this (well I think I've mentioned it), I'm just offering you the table of contents.  

My value added is that I'm adding to each author a link to info about them.  

But I warn you.  As I'm doing this I realize that somebody - the Heritage Foundation? - appears to have done a good job of scrubbing info about these people off the internet. Others are highlighted on friendly websites, like the Heritage Foundation itself.  But even there you can get information.  Newspaper articles and government documents are still up in some cases.  

So minimally you'll get a sense of who these people are, but Google searches don't net much on these folks, except the most well known.  The Wikipedia entries often have lots of footnotes that take you to more information.

PROJECT 2025 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................................ix

THE PROJECT 2025 ADVISORY BOARD................................................................xi

THE 2025 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION PROJECT: A NOTE ON “PROJECT 2025”.....................................................................................xiii

AUTHORS....................................................................................................................................xv

CONTRIBUTORS..................................................................................................................xxv

FOREWORD: A PROMISE TO AMERICA..................................................................1

Kevin D. Roberts, PhD

SECTION 1: TAKING THE REINS OF GOVERNMENT...........................19

1. WHITE HOUSE OFFICE.....................................................................................................23

Rick Dearborn

1. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES..................................................................................................43

Russ Vought

1. CENTRAL PERSONNEL AGENCIES: MANAGING THE BUREAUCRACY..............................................................................69

Donald Devine, Dennis Dean Kirk, and Paul Dans    [Can't find much on Kirk. Given the photo, this could be the guy.]

SECTION 2: THE COMMON DEFENSE...............................................................87

1. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.........................................................................................91

Christopher Miller

1. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY......................................................133

Ken Cuccinelli

1. DEPARTMENT OF STATE..............................................................................................171

Kiron K. Skinner

1. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY......................................................................................201

Dustin J. Carmack

1. MEDIA AGENCIES.............................................................................................................235

U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA.................................................................235

Mora Namdar

CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING......................................246

Mike Gonzalez

1. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT........................................253

Max Primorac

SECTION 3: THE GENERAL WELFARE..........................................................283

1. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE..........................................................................289

Daren Bakst

1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION...............................................................................319

Lindsey M. Burke

1. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND RELATED COMMISSIONS..................................................................................363

Bernard L. McNamee

1. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.......................................................417

Mandy M. Gunasekara

1. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES................................................................................................449

Roger Severino

1. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT....................................................................................503

Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., MD

1. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR...........................................................................517

William Perry Pendley

1. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE........................................................................................545

Gene Hamilton   [Hamilton was an aggressive advocate for expanding family separation prosecutions ]

1. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND RELATED AGENCIES............................................................................................581

Jonathan Berry

1. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION...............................................................619

Diana Furchtgott-Roth

1. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.............................................................641

Brooks D. Tucker

SECTION 4: THE ECONOMY......................................................................................657

1. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE................................................................................663

Thomas F. Gilman

1. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY........................................................................691

William L. Walton, Stephen Moore, and David R. Burton  [Not sure this is the same William L. Walton, probably]

1. EXPORT–IMPORT BANK................................................................................................717

THE EXPORT–IMPORT BANK SHOULD BE ABOLISHED.....................717

Veronique de Rugy

THE CASE FOR THE EXPORT–IMPORT BANK..........................................724

Jennifer Hazelton

1. FEDERAL RESERVE..........................................................................................................731

Paul Winfree  [See this also from a Wikipedia footnote]

1. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION..................................................................745

Karen Kerrigan

1. TRADE.......................................................................................................................................765

THE CASE FOR FAIR TRADE................................................................................765

Peter Navarro

THE CASE FOR FREE TRADE...............................................................................796

Kent Lassman

SECTION 5: INDEPENDENT REGULATORY AGENCIES................825

1. FINANCIAL REGULATORY AGENCIES................................................................829

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION AND RELATED AGENCIES......................................................................................829

David R. Burton

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU....................................837

Robert Bowes  [Couldn't find much]

1. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION................................................845

Brendan Carr

1. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION.......................................................................861

Hans A. von Spakovsky

1. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION.............................................................................869

Adam Candeub

ONWARD!................................................................................................................................883

When I was about halfway through this list, Google got me to this Twitter thread, that was written to point out that while Trump claims to know nothing about Project 2025, many, if not most, of the authors were in his administration.  Most significantly, he adds photos.  

Trump is desperately claiming he has “no idea who is behind” Project 2025.

Here are some of the top Trump advisors and allies who are behind his Project 2025 agenda.

🧵 pic.twitter.com/HJck9lOJO6

— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) July 9, 2024

Let's Get Real About Replacing Biden

I talked to someone who is strongly anti-Trump the other day and he was also adamant about replacing Biden as the Democratic candidate.  

My gut says this is exactly what the Trump camp (including Putin and other foreign disrupters, Federalist Society, Heritage Society, etc.) would like to see.  

By focusing on one speck in Biden's career and presidency, Trump's team has gotten the attention off Trump's conviction, looming court cases, damning mentions in the newly released Epstein court documents, history of fraud and bankruptcies) and is moving the spotlight back to Biden's age and competence.  Really?!!!  And causing infighting among Democrats.  

But I want to emphasize that all this is happening - not in isolation - but in a dynamic system of vested interests, laws, organizations, individuals, agencies, money.  And this is not limited to the US. Players from around the world are involved.  

To capture some of that I've created a grossly simplified graphic of some of the factors that are in play.  

Replacing Biden would set up the Democrats for a series new crises down the line.  Once it happened, they'd then have to choose a replacement.  The natural candidate is Vice President Kamala Harris.  But people will say that a Black, South Asian/American, woman would destroy Democratic chances.  Others will say, not picking her would cause the most consistent supporters of Democrats - Black Americans - to sit out the election. One of the most articulate people in Biden's cabinet is Pete Buttigieg, but the naysayers will say a gay candidate would lose the Independents.  [None of these alarms is necessarily true.]

Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation is already planning court challenges to putting any replacement on state ballots.  If successful in a couple of blue and purple states, Trump would win.  

There will be new scrutiny on the new candidate (and eventually vice presidential candidate).  It used to be the opposition would need to find some past scandal, but nowadays they just make it up.  Biden's worst scandals - his age, his son - have already been disclosed.

Are Putin bots and FSB (the main successor of the KGB) agents working hard to elect Trump by throwing Democrats into disarray?  You better believe it.  They played a role in various European elections   including Brexit.   

No one should be surprised at attempts to impact foreign elections.  This is standard operating procedure for the big powers intelligence agencies.   The CIA did (probably still is) that regularly.  

Putin's original career was in the KGB.  He's fully aware of this and how to do it.  And he's been playing this game a long time.  

It's true, though.  Biden looked and sounded terrible.  I've seen a Spout that said the CNN lighting and sound technicians did Biden no favors, but I haven't seen any evidence.  

And at 81 he has to be slowing down somewhat.  The presidency has aged every president faster.  But Biden has half a century of experience in Washington - as Senator, as Vice President, and as President.  He has relationships with many, many members of Congress and world leaders and his experience has led to wisdom about how to get things done, as shown by his astounding record of accomplishments.  with a slim margin of votes in Congress.

What if he works just four hours a day?  He would still be putting in more work than Trump apparently did while president.  

While the president is the figure head of the administration, we are actually electing a team.  Biden has put together a powerful team.  

The Brookings Institute created a graph to represent the turnovers in the Trump's "A Team" and cabinet" compared to past presidents.  They did the same for the Biden administration.  

This election is about Democracy versus Fascism.  A slowing Biden would still be a better president than a vigorous Trump.  And we have one debate - a speck in time - that raises questions about whether Biden is getting too old, versus 3+ years of competent performance and post debate appearances that show a man with his full mental capabilities.  This man, who has overcome a stutter as a kid, has never been a great public speaker.  But he knows the issues and his claims are based on facts.  

It's a terrible indictment of - I'm not sure what, probably a little of everything - US education, capitalist values of greed, including corporate news media, political manipulation (gerrymandering, voter suppression), racism, sexism, religion, that Trump is even a contender.  That the media and Republicans are calling for him to step down.  

Biden has an array of great debaters in his party who can get out there and campaign for him if he needs to shorten his daily schedule.  

My friend who told me the other day that Biden should resign, said that if Biden runs and wins, he'll come and tell me he was wrong.  

But he didn't say what he'd do if Biden steps down and his replacement loses.  Because I think losing in that scenario that is the more likely outcome.  Because changing candidates mid campaign will lead to lots of dissension, disruption, and lost momentum. 

Of course I could be wrong.  Biden could quickly slide into dementia.  Or a dynamic Kamala Harris could ride to victory.  Anything could happen in the months ahead.  But right now, as I see it, keeping Biden is the wisest path to not only stopping Trump, but to turning this country around and reversing much of the damage the first Trump administration has cause. 

This is going to be one of the nastiest elections ever, with misinformation drowning out truth, and devious schemes to disenfranchise voters and throw elections.  Double and triple check any claims made by anybody.  The LIE machine has been put on high.

What Do Octopuses Feel?

I started this post a week or so ago.  And I previously posted about David Scheel's book, Many Things Under a Rock.  But our book club met this past week and David Scheel, an Alaska Pacific University (APU) professor, attended the meeting.  I would like to spend more time on the book, but it's due at the library and I have many things on a list to do. So this is pretty quick and dirty.  [He would have much preferred, he said only half jokingly, that we bought our copies rather than borrowed from the library."]

Scheel at our meeting comparing the
anatomy of a stuffed octopus 
to a real octopuses parts

In his book about his study of octopuses* one of the questions David Scheel, asks is, "Do animals share some feelings, like hunger and fear?"

Prior to this question he described observing an octopus leave the protection of its den, to search for food.  There's the conflict between fear (and the safety of the octopuses den) and wandering out in search of food, where it's more vulnerable to predators.  

Scheel writes:

"Do animals share some feelings, like hunger and fear?  These feelings are imperative and evolutionarily ancient.  There are perhaps no more basic feelings than the urges to eat and to avoid being eaten.  Australian physiologist Derek Denton named these ancient and demanding urges the primordial emotions." (p. 191)

We learn from Scheel that Denton identified other primordial emotions:  

"thirst, breathlessness (air hunger), food hunger, pain, salt hunger, muscle fatigue, sleepiness, the urge to pass urine, the urge to defecate. sexual orgasm, and the urge to regulate body temperature." (p. 192)

I guess I can accept the notion that these are 'feelings.'  We 'feel' hungry, thirsty, horny, like we need to pee, or need air.  But are these emotions?  We don't need to quibble about words if we agree to define them, for the purpose of the discussion.  But going a step further, Scheel asks whether octopuses are self-aware.  

He discusses octopus activity when different predators are nearby and tells us they act differently depending on the type of predator.  They are extremely cautious and tend to stay in their dens when a lurking, lunging predator lies waiting.  

"Octopuses do not react in the same way to every predator.  An octopus may freeze briefly or adopt a more camouflaged body pattern when a fast moving predator looms into view, but once the predator has passed normal activity returns. Swarming predators, such as he sometimes aggressive Ocean Leatherjakets, are usually ignored if near the den despite the fact that they can mob and kill an octopus that finds itself without shelter. . . Only the presence of a particular kind of predator shut down octopuses for the entire day - a sit-and-wait predator that lurked motionless nearby, awaiting a careless move." (pp. 207-208)

I'm comfortable accepting that this shows an ability to categorize, in this case, different categories of predators.  But whether this is a sign of self awareness is a different issue for me.  It could be an inherited ability passed on from octopuses with it, because it enabled them to survive better.  

Scheel also describes an encounter with an octopus.  He's following an octopus from a distance.  At some point the octopus is aware that Scheel is there.  He has his eye on Scheel as he hides the rest of his body by flattening it and changing its colors.  Scheel tells us that being able to hide itself from a predator shows that the octopus understands what the predator can see.  I realized that I had never thought about that particular skill - the ability to understand how and what another creature can see.

In another example, he tells us about having eye contact with another octopus.  Scheel looked away for a second and the octopus noticed that distraction and took advantage of it to disappear.  

I'm not sure why this surprised me.  I have assumed without thinking, that most animals can do this.  Again, is 'other awareness' a sign of consciousness?  Of self-awareness?

I don't know.  And Scheel, both in the book and at our book club, emphasized that our knowledge of octopus behavior is in its infancy.  Observing wild octopus is challenging,  and biologists aren't sure what captured octopus behavior reflects wild octopus behavior. Knowing what an octopus is thinking and even if it is thinking is a real challenge. At this point much of what we know is speculation based on limited observation and for further research to confirm or reject.  

I do recommend the book.  I said at the meeting that I found it very readable.  The chapters were clearly written mixing octopus encounters and observations with thoughts about octopus behavior and even inclusions of other animal behavior (Scheel studied lions in Tanzania for example.)  But that I found one chapter, maybe two, enough for one sitting. The end of one chapter didn't demand I read the next one.  Scheel said that made sense, since many of the chapters were written as stand alone articles.  

*I asked before the meeting formally began why 'octopuses' instead of 'octopi.'  He said it was a long story and then we got distracted and the meeting began.  I asked because in the book it was always octopuses, not octopi.