Project 2025 is a plan aimed at altering America's system of checks and balances to advance a far-right agenda, which critics argue would negatively impact American workers. The plan proposes shifting power from the general populace to politicians, judges, and corporations.
One aspect of Project 2025 involves cutting Social Security by raising the retirement age. The two most recent Republican Study Committee budget proposals suggest increasing the Social Security retirement age from 67 to 69 for approximately 74 percent of Americans—more than 245 million people. This change would result in new retirees experiencing benefit cuts between roughly 12.5 percent and 14.3 percent once fully implemented. A median-wage retiree could lose between $46,000 to $100,000 over ten years, depending on when they claim Social Security.
The plan also seeks to alter overtime eligibility and benefits in ways that could disadvantage workers. Project 2025 suggests allowing employers to set the time period in which hours are measured, lowering the overtime pay eligibility threshold, and offering time off instead of additional pay—subject to employer approval. Reverting to former overtime pay rules established during the Trump administration would remove overtime protections for 4.3 million workers.
Project 2025 further proposes undermining workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain by banning "card check," weakening the National Labor Relations Board’s role, and potentially banning public-employee unions while allowing states to ban unions entirely. According to the AFL-CIO, this plan would "make it easier for employers to get rid of workers’ unions in the middle of … contracts." Additionally, it seeks to replace high-quality union training programs with lower-quality alternatives favoring corporate interests.
Another controversial proposal within Project 2025 is instructing the U.S. Department of Labor to issue new regulations permitting minors to work in hazardous jobs—a move building on efforts by several states despite an increase in child labor law violations since 2019.
The plan also targets the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), making it harder to track violations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Critics argue this would facilitate discrimination based on race, gender, disability status, and sexual orientation or identity.
These measures are part of a broader set of policies under Project 2025 that opponents believe will harm American workers by increasing taxes on working families, repealing bipartisan infrastructure laws, and eliminating programs like Head Start that support low-income workers with affordable childcare options.
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