U.S. Representative Jared Huffman has announced the creation of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force, which aims to counter the controversial Project 2025 initiative. According to a statement by Huffman’s office, this initiative is crafted by the far-right to grant Donald Trump extensive powers and to erode key democratic institutions and freedoms, such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, racial justice and free speech.
“Project 2025 is more than an idea, it’s a dystopian plot that’s already in motion to dismantle our democratic institutions, abolish checks and balances, chip away at church-state separation, and impose a far-right agenda that infringes on basic liberties and violates public will,” said Huffman. “This is an unprecedented embrace of extremism, fascism, and religious nationalism. We need a coordinated strategy to save America and stop this coup before it’s too late.”
The task force, designed as a hub for pro-democracy members of Congress, civil society and affected communities, will focus on preempting and counteracting the Project 2025 agenda.
Founding members joining Huffman include Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Nanette Barragán, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu, Equality Caucus and Labor Caucus Chair Mark Pocan, Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chair Diana DeGette, Co-Chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus and Ranking Member of Oversight Jamie Raskin and Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal.
“Project 2025 is the product of a coordinated effort by extremists who want to strip away protections for minority communities, including LGBTQ+ people, and undermine the foundations of our democracy,” said Pocan. “I look forward to working with members of this task force to thwart Project 2025’s extreme vision for the country.”
“Project 2025 is Donald Trump’s blueprint for destroying our democracy,” said Jayapal. “It attacks the very foundations that this country was built on and seeks to limit Americans’ rights to further embolden MAGA extremists. We can and must stand up to ensure that Project 2025 never sees the light of day.”
Raskin emphasized the severity of the threat, stating, “The aspiring felon-in-chief, his think tank allies, and all the political criminals he pardoned have previewed ‘Project 2025’ for a nightmarish second term. This far-right roadmap for a ‘post-constitutional’ America would make January 6th extremism a governing ideology.”
Barragán added, “The policies laid out and the staff identified by Project 2025 represent a threat to civil rights, democracy, reproductive freedoms, climate action, and racial justice. We will not remain silent in the face of these threats. It is our duty to stand up, speak out, and take decisive action to fight for the rights of all Americans.”
“We will not remain silent in the face of these threats.”
Nanette Barragán
Project 2025, organized and written by the Heritage Foundation, seeks to enable the next conservative president to quickly implement this agenda. The project’s advisors include former Trump White House aides like Stephen Miller and former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kenneth Cuccinelli.
“We will not remain silent in the face of these threats,” said Barragán. “It is our duty to stand up, speak out, and take decisive action to fight for the rights of all Americans and the foundations of our democracy.”
Wendy Via, president and CEO of The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, shared the organization’s support for the task force. GPAHE has been documenting and tracking Project 2025’s threats to not just the LGBTQ+ community, but also to racial equity, public education, climate change and reproductive rights.
“The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism extends profound gratitude to Representatives Huffman, Raskin, Jayapal, Barragan, Lieu, DeGette, Pocan, and others for their courageous recognition of the grave threat Project 2025 poses to fundamental human rights and American democracy,” said Via in a statement provided to News is Out. “We commend their decisive action in forming this special task force to counter this dangerous shift toward authoritarianism. GPAHE is honored to collaborate with the task force in our shared mission to protect the core values of our democracy.”
News is Out has been following developments regarding Project 2025 and will continue to bring you more updates as they become available.