Director of Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is stepping down

(WASHINGTON) — Paul Dans, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025, is stepping down amid intense scrutiny of the conservative blueprint.

Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, confirmed that Dans announced he is leaving his position.

“When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline,” Roberts posted on X.

“Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains,” he wrote.

However, it doesn’t look like Project 2025 is nearing its end as Roberts also claimed that they will “continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels.”

Project 2025, organized by the Heritage Foundation but backed by more than 100 groups and authored by several allies of Donald Trump, is a 922-page document outlining conservative policy priorities.

It includes expanding presidential power, eliminating the Department of Education, taking the abortion pill mifepristone off the market, cutting federal funding for clean energy research, restricting welfare programs and more.

The initiative has been a point of controversy in the 2024 campaign, as Democrats heavily campaign against what they’ve called its “dangerous” proposals.

Trump has sought to distance himself from Project 2025, saying he knew “nothing” about it and “no idea” who was behind it. But several of the former president’s current and former advisers and appointees have authored or supported the project, including Christopher Miller and Ben Carson.

The Trump campaign celebrated the news of Dans’ departure from the presidential transition initiative.

“Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you,” campaign officials Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita wrote in a statement.

The Harris campaign on Tuesday quickly tried to pour cold water on the idea there’s daylight between potential second term Trump policies and Project 2025’s platform, highlighting the close ties he has to members affiliated with the group.

“Project 2025 is on the ballot because Donald Trump is on the ballot. This is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country,” Harris for President campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.