Project 2025, led by the Heritage Foundation, created a nearly 1,000-page handbook and personnel database to have "civic infrastructure in place on Day One" for the next Republican presidency. How does this compare to traditional presidential transition planning?

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Presidential transitions normally begin after elections, with incoming teams consulting career civil servants and submitting nominees for Senate confirmation. Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 launched in April 2022—two and a half years before the November 2024 election—and built a database of 20,000 pre-vetted candidates (five times the ~4,000 traditional political appointments). Paul Dans and Spencer Chretien screened candidates using loyalty questionnaires, not merit-based qualifications. The $22 million operation wrote 180-day agency playbooks and pre-drafted executive orders, bypassing the deliberative process that normally shapes policy after elections.

Project 2025, led by the Heritage Foundation, created a nearly 1,000-page handbook and personnel database to have "civic infrastructure in place on Day One" for the next Republican presidency. How does this compare to traditional presidential transition planning?

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