House GOP’s Spending Slash Sparks Glimpse of Controversial ‘Project 2025,’ Warns Top Democrat

The proposed cuts to labor, health care, and education by House Republicans give a glimpse into what federal agencies might face under a potential second term for Donald Trump, stated Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut on Tuesday.

DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, highlighted during a press briefing that Republicans’ fiscal 2025 proposal would deeply affect workers, families, and students. The plan aims to slash the Labor Department’s budget by 22%, Health and Human Services by 6%, and Education by 14%.

The Republican-backed Project 2025, a conservative agenda for a possible second Trump administration, is already influencing current spending bills, pointed out DeLauro. “Appropriations Democrats will scrutinize Project 2025 and related appropriations bills to understand what Republicans are pushing forward,” she stated.

She criticized Republicans’ management, mentioning last month’s near government shutdown and the failed vote on the Legislative Branch spending bill. “They cannot govern,” DeLauro added. “This is chaos.”

Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, defended the cuts as “common sense reforms” intended to save taxpayer dollars, according to a recent press release.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma stated the bill aims to shield Americans from President Joe Biden’s policies, which he argues are largely opposed by congressional Republicans. “The bill reins in the Biden Administration’s onerous overreach and contentious policy agenda,” Cole said.

The Labor Department faces a reduction of $3 billion, sharply impacting labor programs. Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, criticized the elimination of $900 million for youth job training programs, stating, “It removes opportunities for young people seeking stable jobs.”

Redmond also condemned last week’s Republican National Convention’s pro-worker rhetoric. “It was all just talk,” he said, referencing the proposed cuts as the true intent behind the platform.

Moreover, the bill proposes an almost 12% cut to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, amounting to $75 million less than the current fiscal year’s budget, endangering worker safety enforcement.

Health care, particularly reproductive services, would also suffer. Kimberly Diaz Scott, vice president of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, criticized the bill’s deep cuts, calling it “a laundry list of attempts to diminish access to reproductive health care.”

The Department of Health and Human Services would see a 6% decrease, or $7.5 billion less than current levels. The funding for Title X Family Planning would be slashed by over $280 million, targeting programs that help low-income, uninsured individuals access contraception and reproductive health services.

Scott emphasized that the cuts would disproportionately affect communities already struggling to access these services. “These policies aim to roll back the progress we’ve made toward gender equality and deny people autonomy over their own bodies,” she stated.

Additional cuts include a $1.8 billion reduction for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eliminating funds for research on suicide prevention, firearm injuries, deaths, and opioid overdose prevention.

In education, the Republican bill would reduce the Department of Education’s budget by 14%, amounting to an $8.6 billion cut. Title I grants for schools serving low-income students would be reduced by $4.7 billion, more than half the total $8.5 billion cut affecting K-12 education and special education programs. Federal law mandates public schools provide special education for qualifying students.

Michael J. Barnes, superintendent of Mayfield City School District in Ohio, stressed the importance of federal funding. “These funds translate into real opportunities for our most disadvantaged students,” he said. Schools would also see a $124 million decrease for mental health services, a crucial need highlighted by a 2021 U.S. Surgeon General advisory on youth mental health during the pandemic.

“Funding public school programs aids in economic growth, social mobility, and public health and safety improvements,” Barnes noted. “It’s not just an expenditure; it’s an investment in our future.”