Today, Accountable.US released a new report detailing the proposals outlined in Project 2025’s manifesto that would disproportionately harm traditionally marginalized communities – particularly communities of color and LGBTQ+ people. Project 2025’s recommendations center around slashing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies for government-led or funded initiatives while also prosecuting private organizations that offer equity policies. This new report is released in conjunction with a new fact sheet by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which details how Project 2025 would take a whole-of-government approach to dismantling diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and turn civil rights enforcement on its head. 

Laser-focused on advancing the far-right’s extremist agenda, Project 2025’s playbook charts a clear ‘how-to’ guide for dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within government while also punishing private organizations who don’t fall in line. It’s no wonder they work so hard to hide their agenda – the American people would reject it. This country isn’t interested in being dragged back in time to a society that would persecute people and deny them their individual rights.”

Kayla Hancock, Director of the Democracy Program at Accountable.US

Project 2025 would take a whole-of-government approach to dismantling diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and would turn civil rights enforcement on its head. Instead of protecting marginalized communities as intended, civil rights laws will be weaponized to exclude them from opportunities in both public and private life. This is extreme and bigoted. Project 2025’s agenda is clear: to rob people of color, women and the LGBTQ+ community of access to employment, education, health care and more.”

Khalid Pitts, Executive Vice President of Campaigns and Program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Some of the most troubling recommendations from Project 2025 would hijack government agencies to restrict DEI initiatives, including:

  • Project 2025 prescribes “major policy changes” to the Treasury Department, including reversing the Biden Treasury Department’s “racist ‘equity’ agenda” by firing anyone who participated in DEI initiatives.
  • Project 2025 views efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusion as unlawful schemes of discrimination, and would have the DOJ prosecute entities with DEI programs.
  • Project 2025 calls for moving the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to the Justice Department and limiting enforcement “only through litigation,” saying that enforcing civil rights meant “rejecting gender ideology and critical race theory,” and proposed requiring the attorney general to approve Department of Education regulations on civil rights issues.
  • Project 2025’s playbook on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined a radical agenda that would codify discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.
  • Project 2025 proposes reforming the Department of Homeland Security Office of General Counsel to make it more political and adherent to the president’s agenda, particularly to further control the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
  • Project 2025 plans for the Department of Labor call for eliminating any program related to “DEI” or “critical race theory.” The manifesto calls the “DEI revolution in labor policy” a vehicle to “discriminate against conservative and religious viewpoints” and called for rescinding an executive order that gave DOL the authority to enforce nondiscrimination among federal contractors.
  • Project 2025 claims critical race theory and DEI efforts are affronts to the First Amendment and unlawful discrimination and would end the use of “disparate impact” in analyzing whether school systems were treating students differently in matters of discipline and special education on the basis of race.

The far right’s focus on dismantling DEI initiatives – and even prosecuting private entities that maintain them – and its obsession with rooting out critical race theory are present throughout their manifesto. Project 2025’s recommendations are harmful to many, but they would, without a doubt, disproportionately harm communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Accountable.US launched its Expose Project 2025 campaign to uncover the sprawling dark money network and extreme figures behind Project 2025 effort threatening our democracy. Learn more at ExposeProject2025.org.

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