While hosting the BET Awards 2024 on Sunday evening, Oscar-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson criticized Republicans for the latest bills passed last week. She spoke to the audience and viewers worldwide about the importance of being involved in the 2024 election, addressing a new Supreme Court ruling that allows authorities to crack down on homeless camping.
But most importantly, she spoke about what's at stake given Republicans' plans in the event former President Donald Trump wins November's elections, an initative known as "Project 2025."
Henson stressed the importance of playing "chess, not checkers," issuing a dire warning for what these policy proposals would mean for the country's future.
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Project 2025, linked here, is a comprehensive document detailing what a future Trump presidency would entail, encompassing not just policy proposals on immigration, education, and the economy, but also a vision of the America that conservatives aim to create in the next Republican administration, whether led by Trump or another candidate.
This document serves as a meticulous blueprint for implementing this vision, providing recommendations for key White House staff, cabinet positions, Congress, federal agencies, commissions, and boards. It also outlines a vetting process to ensure the appointment and hiring of individuals aligned with this vision at every level of government.
The plan includes several controversial proposals. It calls for a federal ban on pornography, with an implied potential for banning content related to gay and trans people. It seeks to enforce a federal ban on abortion under all circumstances, even in cases of severe fetal defects.
The plan proposes terminating civil servants without cause and replacing them with Trump loyalists, which could lead to a significant loss of institutional knowledge and efficiency within government departments every 4–8 years. It also aims to ban gay marriage and divorce, regardless of circumstances.
Furthermore, it significantly limits the powers of the FDA, CDC, and OSHA, making medicine and disability aids harder and more expensive to obtain while reducing workplace safety regulations. The plan lowers the legal working age and reduces child labor protections. It reduces the size and power of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and restricts its ability to conduct reviews.
With this in mind, Henson said:
“Time for us to play chess, not checkers. It’s about making decisions that will affect us as human beings. Our careers, our next generations to come."
"Did you know that it is now a crime to be homeless? Pay attention. It’s not a secret. Look it up."
"They are attacking our most vulnerable citizens. The Project 2025 plan is not a game. Look it up.”
Many joined her in sounding the alarm.
While the scope of Project 2025 is too vast to list here in its entirety, it's worth outlining at least a few of its policy recommendations, which would completely transform the country we know.
The plan integrates the National Security Council into the White House, making it unaccountable to other offices, and eliminates the Gender Policy Council, ending all federal discourse or support for gender identity, LGBTQ+ issues, transgender care, reproductive health, and abortion.
It seeks to restore Trump-era policies favoring management rights over unions and abolishes the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. The plan expels transgender individuals from the military and cuts public funding for transgender surgeries and abortions for service members. It also monitors military schools to remove perceived Marxist indoctrination, critical race theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The Department of Homeland Security would be disbanded to create a new agency with 100,000 workers, limiting the role of the Office of Civil Rights. The plan would place loyalists in temporary "acting" positions with significant authority on Day One to bypass congressional oversight.
Additionally, it calls for freezing and reviewing all existing international agreements to ensure alignment with the presidential agenda and cutting funding to international organizations that support abortion or social policies contrary to conservative values, including the WHO.
Adding to the profound impact Project 2025 would have on the nation, it proposes revising the 2004 Executive Order on intelligence to expand powers for domestic surveillance, potentially infringing on civil rights and privacy, and reinstating policies denying U.S. assistance to pro-abortion initiatives.
These proposals seek to integrate religious training into all agency programs and increase grants to faith-based institutions. Additionally, it aims to reverse Biden-era regulations on food and animal safety, large-scale farming, environmental protections, and climate change.
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