Paul Dans, the director of the Project 2025 presidential transition initiative overseen by the Heritage Foundation, is stepping down from his role at the think tank, as confirmed by the group’s president, Dr. Kevin Roberts. Dans, who previously served in the Trump administration, has led the transition initiative for the past two years, and Roberts expressed his gratitude for Dans’ work on Project 2025.
The Project 2025 initiative was launched in April 2022 with a timeline set by Heritage to finish policy drafting after the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions. The Republican National Convention took place in Milwaukee earlier this month, and the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin in Chicago on August 19. Roberts emphasized that Heritage is adhering to the established timeline for the project.
“Under Paul Dans’ leadership, Project 2025 has achieved its goal of bringing together over 110 leading conservative organizations to create a unified conservative vision focused on devolving power from the unelected administrative state and returning it to the people,” Roberts stated. He highlighted that the tool developed through this initiative is intended for use by any future administration.
Dans, in an email to Project 2025 staff obtained by CBS News, mentioned that the initiative’s work is winding down, and he will be leaving Heritage next month. He expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the project in creating a unified conservative vision and uniting leading organizations behind the cause of deconstructing the administrative state.
An advisory board member of Project 2025 indicated that the initiative’s work is likely to continue beyond Dans’ departure. The next steps involve submitting the project’s work, including a database of potential hires and a list of policy recommendations for the first six months of a potential second Trump term, to the former president’s campaign for review.
Dans’ exit from Heritage comes amid efforts by former President Donald Trump to distance himself from Project 2025 and its comprehensive policy agenda aimed at reshaping the executive branch under the next Republican administration. Trump’s campaign reiterated that Project 2025 was not affiliated with the campaign and should not be associated with the former president in any way.
Senior advisers on the Trump campaign, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, issued a statement warning against misrepresenting influence with President Trump and his campaign, emphasizing that such actions would not end well for those involved. Despite Trump’s attempts to disassociate from the project, Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris have used Project 2025’s extensive policy guide as part of their campaign platform to urge voters to reject Trump in the upcoming election.
Harris criticized Trump during a campaign event in Massachusetts, highlighting the 900-page agenda of Project 2025 and accusing Trump of intending to regress the country. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris’ campaign manager, reiterated concerns about Project 2025’s policy proposals across various sectors, cautioning voters about the potential impact of Trump’s agenda if he were to be re-elected.
While Trump has claimed ignorance of Project 2025’s agenda and criticized some of its plans, several experts who contributed to the project served in his administration. Dans, a former chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management and White House liaison, is among those with ties to the Trump administration. Several pro-Trump groups have withdrawn from the project in recent weeks, including America First Legal, led by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller.
Dans was appointed by Trump in January 2021 to chair the National Capital Planning Commission, a position from which President Biden removed him after taking office. Other former Trump administration officials, such as Russ Vought, Chris Miller, and Ben Carson, who contributed to Project 2025’s policy guide, have also been associated with the initiative.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, with the presidential election approaching, the implications of Project 2025 and its policy recommendations remain a topic of debate and scrutiny among various stakeholders. With Dans’ departure from Heritage, the future direction of the initiative and its impact on national governance will be closely monitored and analyzed by political observers and the public alike.
