The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY)

12/21/2024 / NNOMY - Project 2025 is an authoritarian policy playbook to take over the federal government and enact a radical, far-right agenda that strips Americans of their rights and their ability to have a say in government or gain a foothold in the nation’s middle class. The plan consolidates power in the presidency by gutting the civil service; overruling the long-standing independence of government agencies; weaponizing the Department of Justice; and abolishing government agencies, such as the Department of Education, that support the public interest.¹

Project 2025 is a comprehensive policy agenda proposed by a coalition of conservative organizations. It aims to reshape federal government policies across multiple sectors, including education, healthcare, and civil rights². One of the concerns raised by critics is that Project 2025 could lead to the remilitarization of American youth by promoting policies that increase military recruitment and influence in schools².

Project 2025 Wants All Public High School Students To Take Military Entrance Exam

The exact sentence of Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise" document, reads: "Improve military recruiters' access to secondary schools and require completion of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) — the military entrance examination — by all students in schools that receive federal funding.³"

Public education 

 Project 2025 eliminates the U.S. Department of Education, including Title I, which provides funds to ensure schools serving low-income students have additional resources to deliver a high-quality education beyond that which can be supported by local property tax revenue. Ending Title I would lead to the loss of 15,897 teaching positions, which serve 346,553 students, in California

The agenda includes measures that could potentially defund public education in favor of private and charter schools, eliminate diversity and inclusion programs, and rollback protections for students of color. These changes could create an environment where military recruitment efforts are more prevalent and less regulated, potentially leading to an increase in the militarization of young people².

Additionally, Project 2025's focus on reducing regulatory protections and social welfare programs could result in fewer opportunities for young people to pursue non-military careers, making military service a more attractive option for those seeking stability and financial security.

Overall, the implementation of Project 2025 could have significant implications for the remilitarization of American youth, as it promotes policies that may increase military influence in education and limit alternative opportunities for young people².

 Anyone who cares about the people, should also care about the dire impact that the Trump-backed Project 2025 will have on our civil liberties and civil rights.

Project 2025 is a federal policy agenda and a blueprint for a radical restructuring of the executive branch that would undercut decades of progress and Constitutional values. Though Trump has claimed he is not connected to Project 2025, a CNN report found that 140 people who worked on Project 2025 previously worked in Trump’s administration. The Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts also worked on Trump’s 2016 transition team and has described his organization’s role in Project 2025 as “institutionalizing Trumpism.” Trump himself told a conference, after taking a flight with Roberts, “they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.”⁴

1. Fact Sheets: The Harmful Effects of Project 2025, Colin Seeberger, Aug 1, 2024, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fact-sheets-the-harmful-effects-of-project-2025-by-state/
2. Addressing the Disastrous Impacts of Project 2025 on the Black Community, NAACP, 2024, https://naacp.org/resources/addressing-disastrous-impacts-project-2025-black-community
3. 3. Fact Check: Project 2025 Wants All Public High School Students To Take Military Entrance Exam, Aleksandra Wrona,  August 14, 2024, https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-project-2025-wants-130000877.html
4. Project 2025 Promises to Harm Our Communities and Turn Presidents Into Kings. We Won’t Stand for It, Mike Zamore, August 29, 2024, https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/project-2025-offers-dystopian-view-of-america

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