By Laura Haight,
President, DWGC

Before we started hearing about Project 2025, we were angry and ready to fight to make sure 45 never touched the Resolute Desk again. But once Project 2025 became the policy topic of the election, our resolve hardened.

But, what if Project 2025 is a threat to us here in South Carolina regardless of who wins the election in November?

That’s the topic that Josh Malkin, advocacy director of the ACLU of South Carolina, and senior ACLU strategist (and former Greenvillian) Courtney Thomas, will discuss at our next meeting on Sept. 9 at noon at the Kroc Center, 424 Westfield St., downtown.

While the focus has been squarely on the impact of Project 2025 on the federal government, the ACLU sees attacks “right out of this playbook” in South Carolina.

Many of the key ideas represented in the “Mandate for Leadership” play nicely in the MAGA Republican Legislature. Among them: workers rights (or lack thereof), reproductive rights, climate-forward (or backward) policies, and pay equality.

At the federal level, of course, there’s a lot to be very concerned about should Trump win the election. For example, 40 million people could have their food assistance reduced. Already this idea has a foothold in South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster in the spring rejected federal funding that would have provided $40 more per month for needy families with school-age children to provide food support during the summer months. The federal aid would have helped feed 72,000 SC school children.

Another target of Project 2025 is reproductive rights, where it starts with the plan to use the 200+-year-old Comstock Act to eliminate access to medication abortion nationwide. South Carolina already has one of the most restrictive laws in the country and our attorney general has been busy looking into other ways to control the state’s women. Like tracking their movements around the country and demanding to be notified if an SC woman has an abortion or miscarriage in another state. Clearly the SC Assembly is not done with the horrors it intends to visit on women and families.

We’re looking forward to taking a deep dive into the impact Project 2025 can have on our state when legislators who already embrace the MAGA ideals have a detailed blueprint to follow.

These are issues we should all be talking about with our friends and neighbors as they consider their vote. Project 2025 has life in it yet; even without Trump in the White House.

Join us for this important program.