Project 2025 and Indian Tribes
- Feb 1
- 3 min read
What Is Project 2025—and What Does It Mean for Indian Country?
Project 2025 is a policy and administrative initiative organized by The Heritage Foundation in coordination with a coalition of over 100 conservative organizations. Released as a blueprint for a potential future administration, the project is formally titled Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. Its aim is to prepare for a comprehensive overhaul of the executive branch of the federal government should a conservative administration take office in 2025.
The initiative includes proposals across a range of federal agencies and policy areas and is organized into four pillars:
Restoring the family
Reclaiming the nation’s sovereignty
Dismantling the administrative state
Securing individual liberty
The full policy agenda, available at project2025.org, outlines a range of recommendations, including personnel changes, regulatory rollback, agency restructuring, and shifts in federal funding priorities.
What Project 2025 Says About Indian Tribes and Tribal Programs
Within its policy framework, Project 2025 addresses Indian Tribes and federal Indian programs primarily in the context of budgetary policy and agency oversight. Specific recommendations include:
Reviewing or eliminating certain programs specifically designated for Tribal governments.
Recommending that funding and program eligibility be more universally applied rather than maintained through Tribal-specific allocations.
Proposing that programs serving Indigenous communities be reassessed under what is described as a principle of “equal treatment under the law.”
The text also discusses the Indian Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other agencies with trust responsibilities, suggesting potential consolidation, transfer of responsibilities, or changes in funding mechanisms.
These recommendations are publicly available in the Mandate for Leadership 2025 policy handbook and have prompted analysis from various organizations, researchers, and media outlets focused on the implications for Tribal sovereignty and federal trust obligations.
Media Coverage of Project 2025 and Its Implications for Native Communities
Several national and regional media outlets have published reporting on how Project 2025 could impact Indigenous nations and programs:
High Country News (Jan. 2025) highlighted proposed changes to Tribal consultation and federal funding, with reporting that Indigenous experts are examining how the recommendations could affect self-governance frameworks and treaty obligations. Read: High Country News
ICT News (Feb. 2025) noted that changes to Indian-specific programs, including health care, education, and child care, could alter the delivery of critical services in Native communities if enacted. Read: ICT News
Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts) (Mar. 2025) reported that proposed federal spending cuts outlined in the blueprint could affect core Tribal services, including those related to housing, infrastructure, and early childhood programs. Read: Stateline
Each article draws on publicly available information from the Project 2025 website and interviews with Tribal leaders, legal scholars, and policy analysts.
Considerations for Tribal Child Care and Early Learning Programs
While the blueprint is not binding policy and does not carry the force of law, it reflects a vision for governance that includes potential structural and fiscal changes to federal-Tribal relations. If implemented, these recommendations could affect:
Federal funding for child care and early learning programs (e.g., CCDF, Head Start)
Nutrition services and developmental supports in Tribal early childhood systems
The mechanisms through which Tribes interact with federal agencies
Trust responsibilities and program eligibility criteria based on Tribal status
NICCA continues to monitor these developments and will keep Tribal child care programs informed of any shifts in federal policy or program structure that may impact service delivery or funding.
Next Steps for Tribal Communities and Allies
Staying informed is essential. NICCA encourages Tribal leaders, child care administrators, and early education professionals to review the materials related to Project 2025 and its policy handbook.
Key Resources
NICCA remains committed to ensuring that Tribal voices are heard in federal policy conversations that may impact children, families, and communities. For updates and resources, visit www.nicca.us.
