Overview
- Trump has openly embraced Project 2025, and independent trackers estimate roughly half of its goals were met by mid-December following early executive orders that mirrored the plan.
- After courts blocked efforts to defund NPR and PBS by executive action, Congress rescinded $1.1 billion previously allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, leading to layoffs and service losses in rural, remote, and tribal communities.
- The FCC, now chaired by Project 2025 contributor Brendan Carr, has pressured networks including CBS and ABC and questioned whether NPR and PBS violated federal rules, reflecting expanded regulatory leverage over media.
- White House press operations were restructured as the press secretary took control of the pool, access was restricted, some wire services were replaced by friendly outlets, and the Associated Press was excluded; the Justice Department rolled back protections for reporters and the Pentagon further narrowed access.
- Broader consolidation continues with more than 315,000 federal employees leaving by mid-November and politicized prosecutions drawing judicial pushback, while Heritage’s agenda remains influential even as the think tank faces internal resignations and staff departures.