Project 2025 was developed by the Heritage Foundation and outlines a policy agenda for the incoming Trump/Vance Administration that may impact tribes in areas of land management, healthcare, education, civil rights protections, and environmental preservation. One of its authors, Russell Vought, is the nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget, a hugely powerful if little known part of the Executive Office that helps the President manage the federal budget and implement their vision. This article describes some of those potential impacts and makes recommendations for tribes moving forward through the 47th Presidency.
Healthcare Services
HHS Secretary Nominee: Robert J. Kennedy Jr.
Indian Health Service Reforms: Project 2025 proposes reforms to the Indian Health Service, including potential privatization and putting Tribal healthcare needs into the hands of private, for-profit providers. (Chapter 14). As one of the overriding goals of Project 2025 is to shrink the Federal government’s footprint, this could fundamentally alter how healthcare is provided to Native communities. Tribal leaders should consider the potential impacts of privatization on tribal health autonomy.
Recommendation: Tribal nations request nation-to-nation consultation with Secretary Kennedy regarding (1) concerns in providing good quality health care to tribal citizens and (2) strengthening self-determination of tribal healthcare.
Justice Services
Interior Secretary Nominee:Doug Burgum
DOJ Attorney General Nominee: Pam Bondi
Project 2025 calls for placing all Bureau of Land Management law enforcement officers in an exclusively law enforcement chain of command. Notably absent from Chapter 16 (Department of Interior) or Chapter 17 (Department of Justice) is any discussion of Tribal law enforcement or MMIW/MMIP.
Recommendation: Tribal nations request nation-to-nation consultation with Secretary Burgum to increase law enforcement funding and enact common-sense reforms for Tribal law enforcement.
Energy, Environment, and Land Management
Energy Secretary Nominee: Chris Wright
Increased Energy and Mineral Resource Development: The Trump/Vance administration has made clear that one of its top priorities is to increase domestic energy production. During his confirmation hearing, Wright confirmed that he supports expanding domestic energy production. Project 2025 calls on the restoration of the rights of tribal governments to enforce environmental regulation on their lands
Repeal of the Antiquities Act: Project 2025 calls for the repeal the Antiquities Act of 1906, a law that protects the and cultural heritage of Tribal Nations by giving the President the authority to create national monuments on federal lands. It also calls for a reduction in the size of existing national monuments.
Land Buy-Back: Project 2025 calls on the new Administration to “seek congressional reauthorization of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, which provided a $1.9 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund to purchase fractional interests in trust or restricted land from willing sellers at fair market value,” but which ended on November 24, 2022.
Recommendation: If you don’t already have one, Tribes should establish a Tribal Historic Preservation Office to communicate with the Tribe’s executive and governing bodies to oversee all existing and future energy projects within treaty and aboriginal title homelands.
Recommendation: Tribal nations should coordinate in dealing with the Trump/Vance Administration’s Energy and Land Management Policies in Project 2025.
Indian Housing
HUD Secretary Nominee: Scott Turner
Implementing Project 2025 would move the Indian housing programs to the Department of Interior, put more power in the hands of state and local government, and reduce federal housing assistance. This would impact tribes depending on HUD funds to support their staffing and existing and new housing stock.
Recommendation: The tribal housing directors perform an analysis on how Project 2025 will impact the Tribe’s housing program.
Recommendation: Tribal Nations request nation-to-nation consultation with the HUD Secretary regarding concerns about impacts to the Tribe’s housing program.
Indian Education
Education Secretary Nominee: Linda McMahon
Project 2025 seeks to consolidate all Indian education programs into the Bureau of Indian Education, potentially reducing funding and administrative support for Tribal education, and would eliminate the Head Start Program, which often incorporates traditional language and cultural practices into its curriculum.
Recommendation: Tribal Nations request a nation-to-nation consultation with the Education Secretary regarding the impacts to the Tribe’s Education Programs.
Conclusion
Discussion of federal judiciary considerations in the new administration is beyond the scope of this article. Also omitted is a specific discussion of the New Office of Government Efficiency, headed up by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, although their plan to cut “at least $2 trillion” from the Federal Government’s budget is the fabric on which Project 2025 is woven. As such, in all discussions with the new administration, it will likely be more important now than ever to educate federal stakeholders on the importance of these crucial services to Tribes and their impact on the daily lives of Tribal citizens.