Trump Assembles Cabinet Aligned with Project 2025 Agenda \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President-elect Donald Trump is shaping his second administration with allies linked to Project 2025, a hard-right governance blueprint that envisions consolidating executive power and reshaping federal agencies. Key appointments include Russell Vought at the Office of Management and Budget, Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy, and Tom Homan as “border czar.” The nominations signal a push for sweeping changes in immigration, budgetary control, and regulatory oversight, sparking intense backlash from Democrats and advocacy groups.
Trump’s Cabinet Picks Reflect Project 2025 Blueprint: Quick Looks
- Russell Vought Returns: Trump nominates Vought for OMB director, with plans to consolidate executive power.
- Immigration Hardliners: Stephen Miller and Tom Homan appointed to implement restrictive policies.
- Tech Regulation: Brendan Carr tapped to lead FCC, aiming to curb Big Tech influence.
- Intelligence Overhaul: John Ratcliffe returns to head the CIA, with a focus on confronting China.
- Democratic Opposition: Critics warn Trump’s appointments aim to dismantle federal agencies and erode civil service protections.
Deep Look
Russell Vought: Architect of Budgetary Power
Trump’s nomination of Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) underscores plans to centralize executive power. Vought, who held the position during Trump’s first term, played a significant role in drafting Project 2025’s vision for the presidency.
Expanding Executive Control
Vought has called for the OMB to serve as the president’s “air-traffic control system,” overriding federal agencies to impose fiscal discipline and enforce the administration’s agenda. In his Project 2025 chapter, Vought emphasized that the OMB director should closely reflect the president’s mindset, advocating for aggressive actions to curtail federal spending.
Trump praised Vought’s approach, saying he “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State.” Critics, however, view the nomination as a step toward eroding congressional authority over federal spending.
Impoundment and Efficiency
Trump’s agenda includes potentially reviving “impoundment,” a theory asserting that the president can withhold funds appropriated by Congress for programs deemed unnecessary. Paired with Vought’s fiscal discipline, this strategy could drastically reshape how federal resources are allocated.
Further amplifying these changes, Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency,” tasked with reducing federal redundancies and curbing bureaucratic influence.
Immigration Hardliners: Stephen Miller and Tom Homan
Stephen Miller: Architect of Restriction
A longtime Trump adviser and Project 2025 contributor, Miller will serve as deputy chief of policy, bypassing Senate confirmation. Known for his hardline stances, Miller is credited with crafting Trump’s immigration policies, including efforts to establish the largest deportation force in U.S. history.
“America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller declared at a Trump rally in October.
Tom Homan: Enforcing the Agenda
Homan, returning as “border czar,” was a central figure in Trump’s first-term immigration efforts, including the controversial family separation policy. Previewing Trump’s second term, Homan said earlier this year, “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.”
Brendan Carr: Targeting Big Tech
Transparency and Consumer Empowerment
Carr’s chapter in Project 2025 advocated for stringent transparency rules for social media platforms and empowering users to select their own content filters. He has also proposed measures to curb Big Tech’s dominance and its alleged suppression of diverse political viewpoints.
“The FCC must address threats to individual liberty posed by corporations abusing dominant positions,” Carr wrote.
John Ratcliffe: Intelligence Hawk
Trump’s selection of John Ratcliffe to head the CIA signals a hawkish stance on intelligence. A Project 2025 contributor, Ratcliffe shares the blueprint’s emphasis on confronting China as a primary adversary.
Revising Intelligence Strategy
Democratic Opposition
Trump’s appointments have drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and advocacy groups, who argue that Project 2025 and its contributors aim to dismantle federal institutions.
- Senator Patty Murray: Called Vought “a far-right ideologue” seeking to undermine Congress’ control over federal spending.
- Reps. Jamie Raskin and Melanie Stansbury: Accused Vought of intending to “dismantle the expert federal workforce,” warning of widespread harm to public services.
- Advocacy Groups: Criticized the administration’s push to classify civil servants as political appointees, potentially replacing career experts with loyalists.
Project 2025’s Influence
Project 2025, developed by a coalition of conservative organizations, outlines sweeping changes to federal governance, including:
- Civil Service Overhaul: Reclassifying tens of thousands of federal employees to make them easier to replace.
- Executive Power Expansion: Consolidating authority within the presidency to bypass bureaucratic resistance.
- Immigration Crackdowns: Reinstating Trump-era restrictions on refugees, asylum seekers, and work visas.
The Road Ahead
Trump’s nominations signal a radical reimagining of federal governance, with Project 2025 serving as a guiding framework. As the Senate begins confirmation hearings for key positions, the extent of these changes will come under scrutiny.
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