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At least four dead in St. Lucie County from tornadoes spawned by Milton; AZ voting advocates switch focus to voter education; EPA omits schools from new lead rule but federal funds could help; Where does Harris stand on factory farming?

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President Biden denounces disinformation about federal disaster response. Experts address concerns about how hurricanes impact voting, and activists left and right question VP Harris' stance on meat.

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Federal workers in TX voice concerns about Project 2025

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Monday, September 23, 2024   

Federal workers are voicing concerns about what they see as the potential impacts of the sweeping policy recommendations known as Project 2025, if Donald Trump is reelected in November.

Although the former president has denied being associated with the 900-page document created by the Heritage Foundation, some parts of his platform are similar and its contributors include dozens of members of his presidential administration.

Jacqueline Simon, policy director for the American Federation of Government Employees, said every government agency, from Homeland Security to the Department of Agriculture, would be affected. She is convinced many federal workers would lose their jobs if the administration plans to privatize agencies.

"There's a misconception that most federal employees live and work in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area," Simon explained. "The truth is that 85% of federal employees work elsewhere around the country. And Texas actually has a very large concentration of federal employees, who work on military bases and in VA hospitals."

Project 2025 proposes reviving what is known as the Trump "Schedule F" policy, an effort to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers as political appointees.

Sherita Smith, president of the union's Local 252, representing members in the Department of Education, which would be on the chopping block under Project 2025, said the changes would affect everything from Head Start to summer food programs, to the student loan division for higher education.

"If you are seeking higher education and don't have, at your disposal, $70,000 extra to pay for it, it is going to be critical that we keep the U.S. Department of Education," Smith contended. "Certainly if you are a school district that relies on federal funding, I don't know how public educators are going to be able to do their work."

Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the union's Council 100, representing members in the Transportation Security Administration, said Project 2025 outlines cutbacks to revert airport security back to what it was before the 9/11 terror attacks.

"If you remember what happened on September 11th, and what happened in the days after September 11th, you should always remember that this is what happens when you privatize a national security function," Jones emphasized. "We cannot go back to that, we do not want to have anything like 9/11 to occur again. It is a very dangerous thought process."

Project 2025 was written by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The Foundation said Trump would be under no obligation to implement its recommendations if he is elected.

Disclosure: The American Federation of Government Employees contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Livable Wages/Working Families, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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Detroit Public Schools teacher Rodney Fresh addresses the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Sept. 25, sharing his concerns about a conservative plan to reshape the federal government, known as Project 2025. (Rep. Adel Auro)

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