Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories
Episode 1239Sep 10, 2024

Project 2025 and the fate of the federal workforce

The 922-page set of conservative policy proposals could have sprawling economic implications.

Download
Colorado Governor Jared Polis speaks as he holds a copy of the Heritage Foundation's "Mandate for Leadership," a major component of the "Project 2025" political initiative, on the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the party's nomination for president at the DNC which runs from August 19-22 in Chicago.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis speaks as he holds a copy of the Heritage Foundation's "Mandate for Leadership," a major component of the "Project 2025" political initiative, on the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the party's nomination for president at the DNC which runs from August 19-22 in Chicago.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Subscribe:

Today we’re talking about Project 2025, the 922-page set of conservative policy proposals written as a blueprint for a second Donald Trump administration by the Heritage Foundation think tank.

E.J. Fagan, political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of “The Thinkers: The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics,” said Project 2025 is not your run-of-the-mill policy guide like the ones the Heritage Foundation has written for decades.

“When you read this document, Project 2025, it’s a much different document than previous ones. It is not just conservative policy recommendations, but options that conservatives and a new Trump administration could use to bypass American constitutional government,” said Fagan.

On the show today, Fagan explains how the Heritage Foundation became closely allied with former President Trump, how their Schedule F plan could drastically transform the vast federal workforce and what it could mean for the economy.

Then, we’ll get into what the Chase “ATM glitch” fiasco tells us about the state of financial literacy. And, some good news from the Census Bureau about household incomes.

Plus, a call for a revolt against the penny from one listener and a vocab lesson from another.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

The Team

Project 2025 and the fate of the federal workforce