In the initial months of his presidency, Donald Trump has aggressively reshaped significant areas of American society through a wave of executive orders and administrative actions.
Despite denying any affiliation with the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 during his campaign, many of Trump’s early directives resonate with the conservative policy agenda outlined in the foundation’s extensive report.
Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025, expressed to Politico how Trump’s and Elon Musk’s initiatives to dismantle programs addressing climate change and diversity have exceeded his expectations.
In the wake of these developments, KPBS initiated a series to explore the effects of Trump’s policies based on Project 2025 across major sectors in San Diego, including education, criminal justice, science, and libraries.
Local leaders, educators, and legal experts are pointing to a significant societal shift, with uncertainty looming about how to adapt to the changes ahead.
One unnamed scientist likened the current situation to an impending tsunami, waiting to see the aftermath once it crashes.
**Libraries**
Libraries hold a treasured place in American culture and are highly regarded worldwide, primarily for their role in community development, a sentiment echoed by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who described them as Palaces of the People.
Project 2025, however, perceives librarians as advocates for pornography and transgenderism, even advocating for the termination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Recently, President Trump enacted budget cuts to the agency, and placed its employees on leave, which is anticipated to severely disrupt literacy initiatives, job training, and homework assistance programs in San Diego libraries.
Patrick Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of Library Foundation SD, stated that local literacy and job training programs would undoubtedly suffer from these funding reductions.
Reflecting on this trend, Stewart suggested that these actions are part of a larger effort to reclaim cultural dominance that some feel has been lost since the Civil Rights Act of the 1960s.
**Courts**
Project 2025 has issued a stark warning to both state and federal prosecutors, asserting that their cases must align with Trump’s agenda or face repercussions.
In addition to going after previous cases from the Justice Department, Trump has purged prosecutors involved in prosecuting cases related to the January 6 insurrection.
The San Diego U.S. Attorney’s Office, however, appears committed to aligning with Trump’s policy objectives, as they have recently begun publicizing their weekly border-related prosecutions.
This alignment with the Trump administration is evident as the Justice Department has dropped significant corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams and initiated investigations into former officials who criticized Trump’s position on the 2020 election.
Former San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam characterized these actions as an intimidation and retribution campaign directed at federal prosecutors across the country and at elected officials who disagree with the president.
**Schools**
With the signing of an executive order in March, Trump initiated the disbandment of the Department of Education, achieving a critical goal of Project 2025.
Critics within the conservative movement claim that the department has failed to improve student outcomes and spreads a ‘woke ideology’.
For now, the Department’s dissolution has triggered funding delays for essential services in the San Diego Unified School District, affecting vulnerable populations, such as students with disabilities.
School Board President Cody Petterson remarked on the existential threat posed by these changes, stating, “there’s a bit of a constitutional crisis going on”.
Petterson further elaborated that if the administration refuses to allocate funding, it undermines the implementation of vital services upheld by Congress.
On the other hand, some local school leaders, such as Lakeside Union School Board member Andrew Hayes, advocate for increased local control over education.
Hayes expressed his belief that local school boards, elected by their communities, are best positioned to understand and address local educational needs.
**Science**
While Project 2025 honors America’s scientific achievements, it also claims that scientific fields have become dominated by leftist agendas.
Consequently, Trump has enacted billions in cuts to scientific research funding.
These cuts have particularly affected vital studies on pandemics, HIV, and AIDS at UCSD, leaving many scientists feeling unmoored and questioning their career trajectories.
Dr. Davey Smith, an infectious disease specialist at UCSD, noted that the underlying structure of biomedical research in the United States is transforming, eliciting concerns among his graduate students about their future in the field.
UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla highlighted that the financial repercussions of these budget cuts are massive, estimating potential losses between $75 million to over $500 million annually.
The community of scientists in San Diego is reeling from the drastically altered funding landscape, as they ponder the implications of this shift on the future of research—a domain that has historically made the U.S. a global leader.
Sumit Chanda, a researcher at Scripps Research, voiced a desire for a clearer articulation of what future scientific research will look like in light of current dismantling efforts.
**Climate**
Project 2025 has assailed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), claiming it plays a leading role in the so-called “climate change alarm industry” and suggesting it should be abolished.
While the Trump administration has yet to disband the agency, it is poised to cut its crucial research arm responsible for climate studies and weather forecasting.
Such actions would have catastrophic consequences, according to researchers in San Diego.
Ralph Keeling, a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, whose father pioneered the Keeling Curve, stated that the implications of these funding cuts extend beyond scientific inquiry.
“It’s about all of society,” Keeling stressed, indicating that governmental research funding has historically supported various sectors of the economy.
He questioned why the U.S., known for its prosperity over recent decades, is now willing to undermine the very scientific foundation that has contributed to its success.
As the nuances of these policy shifts continue to unfold, many in San Diego are left to navigate a landscape drastically altered by Trump’s administration and the broader implications of Project 2025.
image source from：https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/04/22/project-2025-lands-in-san-diego-whats-changing-and-whats-at-risk
