Project 2029: Reclaiming the American Dream
Imagine an America Where…
- Your employer can’t fire you for trying to form a union
- A serious illness doesn’t mean choosing between medical care and bankruptcy
- A full day’s work actually pays enough to live on
- High-income households and large corporations contribute proportionately to maintaining the systems that support markets
- Your government works for you—not for the highest bidder
- Your vote counts the same as everyone else’s, regardless of where you live
This isn’t a fantasy. It’s achievable. And it starts with Project 2029.
A Note About “Project 2029”
You may have heard about other “Project 2029” initiatives. Since the 2024 election, several groups have launched efforts with this name—from establishment Democratic think tanks to grassroots coalitions. They all share a common goal: developing progressive policy alternatives to Project 2025.
This Project 2029 is different. It’s an independent framework—not affiliated with any party or organization—that provides:
- The full plan: Not just ideas, but detailed implementation timelines and legal analysis
- The real numbers: Complete scenario-based fiscal analysis showing a -$235B worst-case deficit (86% below current) to a +$895B annual surplus
- The evidence: Every proposal backed by international examples where these policies work
- Two versions: This accessible edition for everyone, plus a technical edition for policy wonks
For details on other Project 2029 initiatives and how they compare, see Other Project 2029 Initiatives.
Now, let’s talk about why this matters to you.
Why This Matters to You: Reclaiming the American Dream
For decades, the American economy has worked brilliantly—for those at the very top. Corporate profits have soared, executive compensation has skyrocketed, and middle-class families have seen their wages stagnate and their benefits evaporate.
The system isn’t broken, but too often rewards extraction over productive value creation. It’s time to restore fair competition and broad opportunity through Rational National Self-Interest.
Why This is For You (Not Just Your Party)
Project 2029 isn’t built on altruism or ideology—it’s based on the “Maintenance” of our greatest national asset: You.
- Healthcare is Maintenance: Just as a business must maintain its machinery, a nation must ensure its citizens can see a doctor without going bankrupt. It prevents catastrophic failures down the line.
- Education is Maintenance: A modern economy requires a skilled workforce. Providing free college and Pre-K is an investment in our collective future productivity.
- Justice is Maintenance: A system where well-connected actors can ignore the rules creates friction that slows down our economy and erodes the trust that holds markets together.
This isn’t about “Left” or “Right.” It’s about “Working” vs. “Broken.”
The Path to 2029: National Mandate, Local Action
While this project provides a technical blueprint for the federal government, the true restoration of America begins in your neighborhood.
Local Action: The 500,000+ Opportunity
American democracy is built on its local offices—School Boards, City Councils, Sheriffs, and County Commissions. Currently, many of these seats go uncontested.
By running on a Project 2029 Local Platform, you can start building local resilience against corruption and extraction right now.
- Audit Your Local Office: Propose a “Day 1 Financial & Ethics Audit” to identify waste and corruption.
- Demand Transparency: Ensure every dollar spent by your local board is searchable online.
- Professionalize Public Safety: Adopt the Project 2029 training and psychological screening models for local law enforcement.
For more information, see our Local Mandate Strategy. Ready to run? Start with the Local Candidate Toolkit.
Grounded in Rational National Self-Interest
Project 2029 is a proposal to build a society where every individual has the hope and the tools to improve their own lives by helping themselves and others at the same time. We hold the individual as sovereign, believing that when people are empowered to flourish as citizens, they naturally strengthen society as a whole.
It is a win-win scenario that only requires a working government system to sustain. While the U.S. Constitution provides a brilliant foundation, nearly 250 years of history have revealed gaps that must be addressed to protect our future. This mandate is our proposal for how to bridge those gaps and restore a system that works for every American.
We invest in social programs not because they are merely “nice,” but because they are profitable for the nation, reduce systemic risk, and strengthen long-run growth.
Grounded in Constitutional Principles
The Constitution’s Preamble establishes clear goals for our government: “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty.”
Project 2029 advances these constitutional principles:
- Establish Justice: Fair taxation, equal protection under the law, enforcement of existing laws against corporate crime and monopolistic practices
- Promote the General Welfare: Healthcare, economic opportunity, and quality public services available to all citizens
- Secure the Blessings of Liberty: Freedom of association, voting rights, government transparency, protection from corporate domination
- Form a More Perfect Union: Policies that strengthen the middle class and reduce the dangerous inequality that threatens social cohesion
This isn’t socialism—it’s fulfilling the constitutional mandate our founders established. From Teddy Roosevelt’s trust-busting to FDR’s New Deal, America has always had the courage to rein in concentrated power and ensure economic opportunity for all. Project 2029 continues that proud tradition.
Let’s get to work.
Why We Need Strong Institutions (Not Just Strong Leaders)
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: It doesn’t matter if you trust THIS president if you can’t trust THE NEXT ONE.
Right now, our government is broken because one branch—the Executive—has accumulated too much power. The current administration has shown that a president willing to ignore institutional constraints, fire inspectors general, ignore court orders, and rule by decree can do tremendous damage.
But here’s what matters: Project 2029 isn’t about giving power to “our side.” It’s about building institutions so strong that NO president can become a dictator—even one you might support.
Ending the Two-Tiered Justice System
For too long, America has operated under inconsistent enforcement: one standard for well-connected insiders, another for everyone else. Low-level employees face immediate consequences for minor infractions, while high-ranking officials can escape accountability for serious violations. Some corporate and political actors exploit access, information asymmetry, and weak oversight.
This ends now.
Elected officials and appointed leaders are not rulers—they are employees. They work for us. And like any employee, they must be held to high standards of conduct, transparency, and accountability. When they fail to meet those standards, they must face consequences—not protection from insider networks.
What “Institutional Restoration” Means:
- Strengthen Congress so it makes laws instead of letting presidents rule by decree
- Protect Independent Watchdogs (Inspectors General, whistleblowers) so corruption can’t hide—even when it reaches the highest levels
- Preserve Judicial Independence so courts can check abuses of power
- Require Transparency so the government can’t operate in secret or hide backroom deals
- Enforce Existing Laws fairly and consistently, regardless of who’s president—no one is above the law
- End Regulatory Capture where agencies serve the interests of those they’re supposed to police
Closing Accountability Gaps
Current institutional design leaves serious accountability gaps:
- Inspectors General get fired when they investigate the wrong people
- Whistleblowers get destroyed when they expose corruption
- Evidence gets buried when it implicates the well-connected
- Investigations get shut down when they get too close to the truth
Project 2029 closes these accountability gaps by:
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Empowering Independent Watchdogs: Inspectors General operate outside the standard chain of command, with the resources and legal protection to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse—even when it reaches Cabinet-level officials or the White House itself.
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Protecting Truth-Tellers: Whistleblowers who expose corruption receive ironclad legal protection and financial security, ensuring that honest agents can speak up without being destroyed.
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Mandating Sunlight: Expanded FOIA, open data requirements, and public databases force officials to operate in the open, making it harder to hide unethical behavior or backroom deals.
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Enforcing Accountability: When officials violate the law or ethical standards, they face real consequences at every rank—including senior leadership.
Think of it like building a house:
- Strong Executive Actions = Temporary scaffolding (holds things up while we build)
- Congressional Legislation = The walls and foundation (permanent structure)
- Institutional Safeguards = The locks, alarms, and fire suppression (protection from abuse)
The goal: Make it impossible for ANY president—Democrat or Republican—to ignore the law. Ensure that NO official—regardless of rank or connections—can escape accountability.
Because the next authoritarian might not be on your team. And the next corrupt official might claim to be on your side.
Emergency Stabilization: What the President Can Do While Congress Acts
A new administration doesn’t need to wait for Congress to start fixing problems. There’s plenty the executive branch can do immediately to restore fairness and enforce existing laws—but these are temporary measures. They’re the scaffolding that holds things up while Congress builds the permanent structure.
Think of these as emergency room medicine: they stop the bleeding and stabilize the patient. But real healing requires the surgery that only Congress can perform through permanent legislation.
Day 1: Setting New Priorities
Enforce Tax Laws Fairly for All Americans
- Direct the IRS to focus enforcement on high-income taxpayers and large corporations who have long evaded their obligations
- Currently, Americans earning under $50K face higher audit rates than millionaires; this reverses that unfairness
- Goal: 50% audit rate for those earning $10M+, 75% for large corporations
- Expected result: Billions in revenue from tax cheats, without raising rates on honest taxpayers
Launch Universal Healthcare Enrollment Campaign
- Millions of Americans are eligible for Medicaid or affordable ACA coverage but don’t know it
- National campaign to enroll every eligible person
- Begin designing a public health insurance option available to all Americans
Take on Corporate Monopolies
- Announce aggressive antitrust enforcement targeting tech giants, pharmaceutical price-fixing, and financial industry consolidation
- Begin investigations into monopolistic practices that have crushed competition and driven up prices
- Message to big business: The era of unchecked corporate power is over
Protect Freedom of Association
- Rescind anti-union rules from previous administrations that restricted Americans’ constitutional right to organize
- Employees shouldn’t have to fight their government just to exercise their freedom of association
- Ensure fair election processes free from government interference or favoritism
Open Government to the People
- Mandate government-wide review of classified documents with presumption of public release
- Launch unified “Digital Front Door” for all government services
- Your government should be transparent and easy to access
Renegotiate Trade Deals to Protect American Interests
- Stop negotiations on any trade agreement lacking strong, enforceable labor and environmental standards
- Trade policy should protect American families, small businesses, and our environment—not just multinational corporations
Clean Out Agency Sabotage and Restore Integrity
- Conduct comprehensive review of all changes made to executive branch agencies by previous administrations
- Reinstate inspectors general (IGs) who were fired or sidelined for doing their jobs
- Reverse rule changes that undermined agency missions and public protections
- Restore agency capacity to serve the American people, not corporate interests
- Empower career professionals to do their work without political interference
- Build forward-facing digital portals for accountability and transparency
- Message: Government agencies exist to serve the public, and we’re restoring that mission
Launch Universal Communication Initiative
- Direct FCC to expedite universal broadband grants to underserved communities
- Begin comprehensive review of telecom companies’ compliance with coverage obligations
- 42 million Americans lack broadband access—a barrier to jobs, education, healthcare, and democratic participation
- Prepare plan for public option internet service where private sector has abandoned rural and low-income Americans
- Message: In the 21st century, internet access is as essential as electricity was in the 20th
Begin Law Enforcement Professionalization Initiative
- Announce commitment to national police training standards and accountability
- Establish task force to design National Police Training and Certification Program
- We require more training to become a barber than a police officer in many states—that’s unacceptable
- Officers deserve clear professional standards; communities deserve accountability
- Message: Professionalize law enforcement like we did for pilots and doctors—with national standards, proper training, and public accountability
Revitalize Public Media and Local Journalism
- Announce 10x funding increase for PBS and NPR in next budget request
- Launch federal grants for local journalism and investigative reporting
- Create task force to review media ownership concentration and enforce antitrust laws
- Support for public media = government speech (constitutionally sound), not censorship
- Goal: Ensure every American has access to quality, non-partisan news and information
Day 30: Building Momentum
Negotiate Lower Drug Prices
- Use existing authority to negotiate prices for prescription drugs across all federal programs
- Americans pay 2-3x what other countries pay for the same medications
- Potential savings: $200-300 billion annually
Update Merger Guidelines
- Issue new guidelines presuming that mergers increasing market concentration are anticompeditive
- Force companies to prove their mega-mergers benefit consumers, not just shareholders
Ensure Fair Labor Election Processes
- Review existing NLRB procedures to ensure fairness and remove barriers to employee choice
- Prevent employer coercion and retaliation during organizing campaigns
- Let employees make their own decisions about representation without government thumb on the scale
Issue National Use-of-Force Standards
- Release federal guidance on minimum standards for police use of force
- De-escalation must be priority; force must be proportional to threat
- Duty to intervene when other officers use excessive force
- Mandatory reporting of all force incidents
- These are baseline standards—agencies can exceed them, but federal funding requires meeting minimums
Day 60: Transforming Government Operations
Launch U.S. Digital Service 2.0
- Modernize federal technology from the IRS to the VA
- Government services should work as well as your banking app
- Reduce waste, improve efficiency, enhance user experience
Require Shareholder Approval for Excessive Executive Pay
- Corporate boards have failed to rein in CEO compensation
- Let shareholders vote on packages exceeding specified thresholds
- Executive pay has grown 940% since 1978; typical American wages have grown only 12%
Close Tax Loopholes
- Begin rulemaking to close “carried interest” loophole benefiting hedge fund managers
- Target other loopholes where administrative authority exists
- Identify those requiring Congressional action for legislative agenda
Begin Educational Equity Assessment
- Direct Department of Education to analyze K-12 funding disparities across states and districts
- Prepare implementation plan for universal pre-K program
- Design free public college proposal with cost estimates
- Research student debt cancellation legal authority and economic impact
- Education is the foundation of opportunity—every child deserves an equal shot
Launch Pilot Police Certification Program
- Invite states to participate in voluntary pilot program for federal police certification
- Include psychological screening standards and de-escalation training requirements
- Federal grants available to participating states
- Model: Like medical licensing—minimum national standards, implemented by states
- Goal: Ensure every officer meets professional standards regardless of where they serve
Day 90: Accountability and Enforcement
Establish Corporate Crime Task Force
- Prosecute wage theft, price-fixing, and corporate fraud
- White-collar crime has gone largely unprosecuted for years
- Message: If you steal from your employees or defraud consumers, you’ll face consequences
Crack Down on Wage Theft
- Nationwide enforcement initiative targeting industries that systematically underpay employees
- Wage theft exceeds all other theft combined in America
- Employees who earn it should keep it
Review All Trade Agreements
- Comprehensive review to identify provisions harming American families, small businesses, and the environment
- Recommend renegotiation or withdrawal where appropriate
- Global economy shouldn’t mean race to the bottom
Establish National Law Enforcement Accountability Database
- Track officer misconduct, use of force, certification status across all jurisdictions
- Currently, officers fired for misconduct can be rehired elsewhere—new department never knows
- Database accessible to law enforcement agencies during hiring
- Public transparency: Aggregate statistics published quarterly
- This protects good officers and holds problem officers accountable
Day 120: Preparing Major Reforms
Study Wealth Tax Implementation
- Deliver comprehensive study to Congress on implementing wealth tax and financial transaction tax
- These will be key revenue sources for the legislative agenda
- Get the details right before proposing legislation
Strengthen Securities Enforcement
- Increase enforcement against insider trading and market manipulation
- Markets should be fair, not rigged for those with inside information
The Twelve Acts of Reconstruction: Building It to Last
Executive actions are temporary scaffolding. Real transformation requires Congress to pass permanent laws that no future president can undo with a stroke of a pen.
This is where democracy does its real work—through your elected representatives in Congress. These nine major acts will fundamentally transform how our economy and government function, creating protections that last for generations.
Here’s what Congress must pass in Years 1-3:
Year 1 Priority: Healthcare and Democracy
The American Health Security Act
Every American deserves quality healthcare. Period. In a high-functioning economy, broad access to care is core infrastructure that improves workforce productivity, reduces crisis costs, and lowers long-run risk for households and businesses.
What it includes:
- Public health insurance option available to all Americans, regardless of employment
- Medicare negotiation for all prescription drugs (saving $200-300B annually)
- No surprise billing, no networks, no prior authorizations for medically necessary care
- Funding: Premiums from enrollees + massive savings from administrative efficiency
What this means for you:
- If you like your current insurance, keep it
- If you want better, cheaper coverage, choose the public option
- If you’re uninsured, get covered
- If you’re underinsured, get real protection
- Prescription drug prices drop dramatically
Expected enrollment: 15 million in Year 1, 40+ million by Year 5
The Freedom to Vote and Fair Elections Act
Our democracy shouldn’t be for sale, and every vote should count equally.
What it includes:
- Automatic voter registration and same-day registration
- Ranked-choice voting for federal elections (vote your conscience without “spoiling”)
- Public financing for Congressional campaigns (small-donor matching)
- Disclosure requirements for political spending (follow the money)
- Independent redistricting commissions (end gerrymandering)
- Restore Voting Rights Act protections
- Make Election Day a holiday
What this means for you:
- Easier to vote, harder to suppress votes
- More choices on your ballot (viable third parties)
- Less big money in politics
- Districts drawn fairly, not to guarantee outcomes
The American Communication and Information Act
In the 21st century, internet access isn’t luxury—it’s essential infrastructure for jobs, education, healthcare, and democratic participation. 42 million Americans lack broadband. Rural communities, tribal lands, and low-income urban neighborhoods have been abandoned by private telecom companies. This ends now.
What it includes:
- Universal broadband as essential service requiring coverage for all Americans
- $150 billion infrastructure investment for fiber optic and 5G buildout to every community
- Public option internet service where private companies have failed to serve
- Media ownership limits: No company can control more than 10% of local news market
- Public media expansion: 10x increase in PBS/NPR funding ($5B annually)
- Local journalism grants: Federal support for investigative reporting in underserved communities
- Media literacy education: Grants to states for teaching critical thinking and source evaluation
What this means for you:
- Every American home gets high-speed internet access
- Rural areas finally get reliable cell service
- Local news returns to communities where hedge funds killed newspapers
- Quality, non-partisan news available to all via public media
- Students learn how to identify credible sources and resist misinformation
Constitutional grounding:
- Precedent: Rural Electrification Act (1936) brought electricity to all Americans
- Commerce Clause authority for interstate communication infrastructure
- Public media = government speech (constitutionally protected)
- Ownership limits = antitrust enforcement (clearly constitutional)
Why private sector has failed:
- Rural areas unprofitable (low population density, high infrastructure costs)
- Companies take government subsidies, don’t deliver promised coverage
- Media consolidation: Sinclair owns 185+ TV stations, iHeartMedia owns 850+ radio stations
- Local journalism destroyed: 1,800+ communities lost newspapers since 2004
Cost: $150B infrastructure (one-time) + $25B/year operations (covered by user fees and spectrum auctions)
Year 2 Priority: Economic Justice
The Tax Justice and Economic Fairness Act
It’s time to align tax policy with long-term market stability and fiscal sustainability. This is how we fund everything else.
What it includes:
- 70% top marginal rate on income above $10 million
- Applies only to the ultra-wealthy
- Returns to historical norms (was 70-91% from 1950s-1970s)
- Revenue: $90-150B annually
- Tax capital gains as ordinary income
- Capital income should not be taxed below wage income at comparable levels
- Currently: billionaires pay 15-20% on investment income, employees pay up to 37% on wages
- Revenue: $150-250B annually
- 2% wealth tax on net worth above $50 million
- Affects roughly 75,000 households (0.05% of Americans)
- Example: $100M net worth pays $1M annually (2% of $50M above threshold)
- Includes strong anti-avoidance measures
- Revenue: $180-300B annually
- Estate tax reform
- Lower exemption to $3.5M (still protects middle-class inheritances)
- Raise top rate to 65%
- Close dynasty trust loopholes
- Revenue: $30-70B annually
- Financial transaction tax (0.1% on stock trades)
- Reduces high-frequency trading speculation
- Minimal impact on long-term investors (401(k)s)
- Common in other countries (UK has had stamp duty for decades)
- Revenue: $60-100B annually
- Close corporate loopholes
- End “carried interest” loophole for hedge funds
- Crack down on offshore tax havens
- Fix transfer pricing abuse
- Revenue: $100-200B annually
- Remove Social Security income cap
- Currently, income above ~$168K pays no Social Security tax
- Apply 12.4% tax to all income
- Ensures Social Security solvency for 75+ years
- Revenue: $120B annually (dedicated to Social Security, not general fund)
Total new revenue: $730 billion to $1.19 trillion annually
These aren’t pie-in-the-sky numbers. They’re based on Congressional Budget Office methodologies, with conservative assumptions about tax avoidance built in.
The Economic Opportunity and Fairness Act
American families deserve economic security and the opportunity to build wealth through honest work. It’s time our laws reflected that.
What it includes:
- $25 federal minimum wage (phased in over 3-5 years)
- Current $7.25 hasn’t increased since 2009
- $25/hour = $52K/year, approaching a living wage
- Small business tax credits to ease transition
- Evidence from high-wage countries shows minimal job loss
- Universal paid family and medical leave
- 12 weeks paid time for new parents, serious illness, or family care
- Every other developed nation has this; we should too
- Cost: $40B annually (less than we spend on a single aircraft carrier)
- Federal Job Guarantee
- Government offers job to anyone who wants one
- $25/hour + benefits, meaningful work in infrastructure, care work, environment, education
- Counter-cyclical: expands during recessions (when needed), shrinks during booms
- Cost: $340-680B depending on enrollment (see detailed analysis below)
- Net cost after savings: $179-536B
- Protect freedom of association and fair negotiation
- Remove government barriers that restrict employees’ constitutional right to organize
- Prohibit employer retaliation against employees who exercise their freedom of association
- Strengthen penalties for violations of existing labor laws (wage theft, intimidation, illegal terminations)
- Let employees and employers negotiate terms without excessive government mandates
The Equal Opportunity in Education Act
Education is the foundation of the American Dream—the ladder of opportunity that allows every child to rise as far as their talents and hard work will take them. But that ladder has broken rungs. Wealthy districts spend $20K per student while poor districts spend $8K. College costs have exploded while wages stagnated. Student debt crushes young Americans before they even start their careers. It’s time to restore educational opportunity for all.
What it includes:
- Universal Pre-K for all 3-4 year olds
- Free, high-quality pre-kindergarten nationwide
- Proven ROI: $7 return for every $1 invested (better earnings, less crime, healthier adults)
- Oklahoma and Georgia models show this works
- Cost: $75-100B annually
- Free tuition at all public colleges and universities
- If you get in, you can afford to go
- Covers tuition at public institutions (not private colleges)
- Precedent: GI Bill, California Master Plan (free through 1970s)
- Cost: $75-100B annually
- K-12 Funding Equalization
- Federal grants to states that adopt equitable funding formulas
- Ensure every school meets minimum per-pupil spending regardless of local property values
- “Separate and unequal” persists 70 years after Brown v. Board—time to finish the job
- Cost: $150B annually
- Student Debt Relief
- Significant cancellation for existing borrowers
- Income-driven repayment: Pay max 5% of discretionary income
- Public service loan forgiveness expansion
- 45 million Americans currently owe $1.7 trillion in student debt
- Media Literacy Curriculum
- Federal grants for states to develop critical thinking and source evaluation curricula
- Teach students how to identify credible sources, fact-check claims, recognize bias
- Non-partisan: Not about ideology, about skills
- Cost: $5-10B annually
- Crack Down on For-Profit College Fraud
- Restore “gainful employment” rules: Colleges must show graduates earn enough to repay loans
- Cut federal funding to institutions with high debt, low earnings outcomes
- Prosecute fraud aggressively (Trump University, Corinthian Colleges precedent)
What this means for you:
- Every child gets quality early education
- College admission = college affordability
- No more choosing between education and crippling debt
- Schools funded by student need, not neighborhood wealth
- Young people graduate ready to participate in democracy
Why this is federal responsibility:
- Equal Protection Clause requires equal educational opportunity
- Federal government can condition funding on equity requirements
- Student loan system is already federal; can be reformed
- Commerce Clause: Education affects interstate economy
Connection to democracy:
- Informed citizenry requires quality education
- Civic knowledge at all-time lows (only 13% of 8th graders proficient in U.S. history)
- Media literacy essential to resist misinformation and demagoguery
- Economic opportunity reduces anti-democratic populism
Cost: $305-415B annually (fully funded by progressive tax reform from Year 2)
Year 2 Priority: Public Safety and Justice
The Law Enforcement Professionalization and Accountability Act
Police officers have one of the hardest jobs in America. They face danger, make split-second decisions, and carry the weight of public safety on their shoulders. The vast majority are good people trying to serve their communities with honor.
But here’s the problem: We require more training to become a licensed barber than we do to become a police officer in many jurisdictions. Anyone can become an officer with just a few weeks of training and minimal screening. That’s not fair to communities—and it’s not fair to the good officers whose profession gets tarnished by those who never should have worn the badge.
It’s time to professionalize law enforcement through national standards—just like we do for pilots, doctors, and engineers.
What This Means for You
If you’re a law enforcement officer:
- Clear professional standards and respected certification (like doctors or lawyers have)
- Better training so you’re prepared for the job
- Mental health support when you need it
- Protection from working alongside problem officers who endanger you and the community
- Higher pay and better recruitment to attract quality candidates
If you’re a community member:
- Confidence that officers are properly trained, screened, and certified
- Accountability when officers violate rights or abuse authority
- Transparency about police conduct through public databases
- Officers trained in de-escalation, not just force
If you’re a taxpayer:
- Reduced legal costs from misconduct lawsuits ($300M+ paid by cities annually)
- Better public safety through professional, accountable policing
- Federal grants to help local departments meet standards
What It Includes
1. National Training and Certification Program
Just like pilots need federal certification to fly, police officers would need federal certification to carry a badge and gun. States can still run their own police departments, but officers must meet minimum national standards.
Training requirements:
- Minimum 6 months training (not 6 weeks)
- Focus on de-escalation, constitutional rights, community engagement, ethics
- Ongoing education (40 hours/year) to maintain certification
- Comparable to training in other democracies:
- Current U.S. average: 21 weeks
- Germany: 130 weeks
- Norway: 156 weeks
- Finland: 180 weeks
What you learn:
- Constitutional law and civil rights
- De-escalation and crisis intervention (mental health, developmental disabilities)
- When force is justified—and when it’s not
- Duty to intervene when other officers cross the line
- Community policing and building trust
- Professional ethics and integrity
2. Psychological Screening—Before and During Service
Not everyone is fit to be a police officer. That’s not an insult—it’s reality. The job requires emotional control, sound judgment under pressure, and genuine empathy. We screen pilots for mental fitness; we should do the same for people carrying guns and authority over citizens.
What’s required:
- Comprehensive psychological evaluation before certification
- Re-evaluation every 2 years to catch problems early
- Automatic disqualification for:
- Domestic violence history
- Pattern of violent or abusive behavior
- Serious mental illness incompatible with law enforcement
- Untreated substance abuse
Mental health support:
- Confidential counseling available to all officers
- Post-incident trauma support (shootings, serious incidents)
- No punishment for seeking help—we want officers to get support before problems escalate
3. National Standards for Use of Force
Every agency would adopt the same basic rules about when and how officers can use force.
Core principles:
- De-escalate first: Try to calm situations before using force
- Force must be proportional: Don’t shoot someone for shoplifting
- Duty to intervene: If another officer uses excessive force, you must stop them
- Duty to render aid: If someone’s hurt, help them—even if they just fought with you
- Prohibited techniques: No chokeholds, no shooting at moving cars (except lethal threat), no prolonged restraint that restricts breathing
Accountability:
- Body cameras required and activated during all encounters
- Every use of force reported within 24 hours
- Serious incidents (death, serious injury) investigated by independent agency, not officer’s own department
- Data reported to national database so we can track patterns
4. National Accountability Database
Currently, an officer fired for misconduct in one city can get hired the next town over—and the new department never knows. This ends that.
What’s tracked:
- Officer certification status and training
- Use-of-force incidents
- Complaints and disciplinary actions
- Terminations and why they happened
Who can see it:
- Law enforcement agencies (during hiring) can see full records
- Public can see aggregate statistics (how many complaints, use-of-force incidents by department)
- Individual officer records available through FOIA with privacy protections
Why this matters:
- Stops problem officers from getting rehired elsewhere
- Gives communities transparency about local policing
- Identifies problem departments that need intervention
5. Qualified Immunity Reform
The problem: Courts created a doctrine called “qualified immunity” that shields officers from civil lawsuits even when they violate constitutional rights—unless there’s a prior court case with nearly identical facts. This makes accountability nearly impossible.
The solution: Officers keep immunity for good-faith mistakes, but not for clearly unconstitutional conduct or bad faith violations. Caps on damages prevent bankrupting cities, while ensuring victims can get compensation.
Balance:
- Officers still protected from frivolous lawsuits
- Officers still protected for split-second reasonable decisions
- Officers NOT protected for clear constitutional violations or malicious conduct
- Damages paid by city insurance, not officer personally (except criminal conduct)
6. Community Oversight and Transparency
Civilian review boards:
- Federal grants for cities creating independent review boards
- Community members (not current/former police) review complaints
- Power to investigate and recommend discipline
- Public reports on findings
Pattern-or-practice enforcement:
- Department of Justice can investigate departments with patterns of abuse
- Can require reforms through consent decrees
- Departments that refuse reform lose federal funding
7. Federal Funding to Make This Work
The federal government will help states and cities afford these improvements.
Grants available for:
- Building or upgrading police academies ($500M/year)
- Psychological screening programs
- Competitive officer salaries to attract quality candidates
- Officer education (tuition reimbursement for degrees)
- Mental health services for officers
- Body cameras and technology
- Community policing programs
- Co-responder programs (police + mental health professionals for crisis calls)
Total federal investment: $1.4 billion annually
How we pay for it:
- Fully funded by progressive tax reform (see Tax Justice Act)
- Savings from reduced misconduct lawsuits ($300M+ annually in current settlements)
- Improved public safety and community trust (priceless)
How This Gets Implemented
Year 1:
- Federal Certification Board established
- Training standards finalized
- Psychological screening standards published
- National accountability database launched
Year 2:
- States begin certifying officers under new standards
- Federal grants start flowing to upgrade training
- Pilot programs in volunteer states
Year 3:
- All agencies must comply to receive federal funding
- Full implementation nationwide
Phase-in is gradual: Current officers can be grandfathered in with some additional training, or can choose to get full certification. New officers must meet full standards.
Why This Works: Learning from Success
Other countries professionalize police and it works:
- Germany: 2.5-3 years training; officers are respected professionals; low police violence rates
- Norway: 3 years training including bachelor’s degree; extremely low police shootings (average 2 per year in entire country)
- UK: 2+ years training; most officers don’t carry guns because they’re trained to de-escalate
- Finland: 3 years training; community trust in police is among world’s highest
U.S. historical precedent:
- Medical licensing: Used to be no national standards; doctors were often quacks. Federal minimum standards transformed medicine into respected profession. Same can happen for law enforcement.
- Pilot certification: After aviation disasters, FAA established strict training, testing, psychological screening. Air travel became safest form of transportation.
What Success Looks Like (5-Year Goals)
Officer professionalization:
- 80%+ of active officers nationally certified under federal or approved state standards
- Officer job satisfaction increases (better training, clearer standards, professional respect)
- More diverse recruitment (women, people of color) as profession becomes more attractive
Use of force reduction:
- 30% reduction in police shootings nationally
- 50% reduction in excessive force complaints
- Near-elimination of deaths from neck restraints, positional asphyxia
Community trust:
- Public confidence in local police increases from 53% to 70%
- Complaint rates decline as better officers hired and poorly suited individuals screened out
- Reduced disparities in use of force across racial groups
Accountability:
- Misconduct database operational in all 50 states
- 90% reduction in problem officers moving between jurisdictions undetected
- Civil rights lawsuit settlements decline by 40% (fewer violations, better outcomes)
Cost: $1.4B annually (less than 0.2% of current police spending; $4.24 per American per year)
Year 3 Priority: Corporate Accountability
The 21st Century Antitrust and Competition Act
When companies get too big, competition dies. Innovation dies. Small businesses get crushed. Prices rise. It’s time to restore competitive markets and break up the monopolies.
What it includes:
- Presumption that mergers increasing concentration are anticompetitive
- Breakup authority for existing monopolies abusing market power
- Ban on anti-competitive practices (exclusive dealing, predatory pricing, vertical restraints)
- Triple funding for DOJ Antitrust Division and FTC
- Tech platform regulation (data portability, interoperability)
Target industries for enforcement:
- Big Tech (Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple)
- Pharmaceuticals (insulin makers, PBMs)
- Health insurance consolidation
- Meatpacking (4 companies control 85% of beef)
- Agriculture (Monsanto/Bayer seed monopoly)
The 21st Century Government Transparency and Efficiency Act
Your government should be open, efficient, and accountable. Currently it’s none of those things.
What it includes:
Transparency and Open Government:
- Expand FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) with 30-day response requirement
- Create public database of all government spending down to transaction level
- Require open-source software for government systems
- Mandate data portability and interoperability across agencies
- Presumption of public release for government documents (classified only when truly necessary)
Structural Sanitation: Protecting Truth-Tellers and Independent Watchdogs
Deep corruption survives when honest agents are afraid to speak up. When evidence gets buried. When investigations get shut down because they implicate the wrong people. Project 2029 breaks this cycle by empowering those who expose wrongdoing and protecting them from retaliation.
Independent Watchdog Protection:
- Inspectors General independence: Cannot be fired without cause and Congressional approval
- Bypass compromised leadership: IGs operate outside standard chain of command, reporting directly to Congress
- Universal jurisdiction: Can investigate any federal official, including Cabinet members, judges, and White House staff
- Adequate resources: Funding protected from political interference
- Public reporting: IG findings published quarterly, accessible to all Americans
Why this matters: If the head of an agency is compromised—whether through corruption, blackmail, or political pressure—they can shut down investigations. Independent IGs create a pathway for accountability that cannot be blocked from above.
Ironclad Whistleblower Protection:
- Independent enforcement agency: Dedicated office to protect whistleblowers, separate from agencies they’re exposing
- Financial security: Whistleblowers who face retaliation receive full salary replacement until reinstated
- Legal defense fund: Government-funded legal representation for whistleblowers facing retaliation
- Anti-retaliation enforcement: Automatic investigation of any adverse action against whistleblowers
- Anonymous reporting channels: Secure systems for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse without revealing identity
- Rewards for major disclosures: Financial incentives for exposing significant corruption (similar to SEC whistleblower program)
Why this matters: Honest agents who see evidence being suppressed or powerful figures being protected need legal safety to expose the truth. This destroys the leverage of those who would hide corruption by ensuring the truth can surface from the bottom up—even when leadership is compromised.
Public Servant Financial Integrity:
Elected officials and judges are public servants—they work for us. They shouldn’t be able to use their positions to enrich themselves or their families.
Financial accountability measures:
- Stock trading ban: Members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and federal judges cannot trade individual stocks while in office
- Mandatory blind trusts: All elected officials must place investments in blind trusts managed by independent trustees
- “Revolving door” prohibition: 10-year ban on lobbying for former members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and senior appointees
- Zero-tolerance enforcement: Automatic referral to DOJ for criminal prosecution of ethics violations
- Truth in Service Mandate: Annual performance and ethics audits for all elected officials and senior appointees, with public reporting
Why this matters:
- Ends high-level self-dealing by public officials
- Ensures officials serve the public interest, not their investment portfolios
- Creates real consequences for corruption—not just voluntary “ethics guidelines”
- Restores public trust by treating elected officials as employees, not rulers
- Removes the shadows where blackmail and coercion thrive
Breaking Regulatory Capture:
Too often, agencies serve the interests of those they’re supposed to police. Corporate executives rotate into regulatory positions, weaken enforcement, then return to industry with lucrative rewards. This ends now.
Anti-capture measures:
- Strict conflict-of-interest rules: Cannot regulate industries where you previously worked or have financial interests
- Extended cooling-off periods: 5-year minimum before industry executives can join regulatory agencies
- Enforcement metrics: Agencies must meet minimum enforcement targets or face Congressional review
- Public accountability: Quarterly reports on enforcement actions, fines collected, and cases declined
- Career professional protection: Civil servants cannot be fired for enforcing laws against politically connected violators
The Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Act
We ensure that AI and digital tools work for you, not against you.
What it includes:
- The Digital Front Door: One secure, unified portal to access all government services.
- Digital Sovereign ID: A secure, private digital identity that you own, giving you control over your personal data.
- AI for the People: Using automation to eliminate government “busy work” (like FOIA delays) while protecting jobs for displaced workers through the Federal Job Guarantee.
- Algorithmic Transparency: If a government AI makes a decision about your benefits or taxes, you have the right to know how and why.
The Strategic Energy and Green Industrial Act
We achieve energy independence while rebuilding the American industrial base.
What it includes:
- Nuclear-to-Energy Conversion: Turning excess nuclear weapons material into clean, carbon-free civilian energy fuel.
- Grid Modernization: A unified, national smart grid to distribute renewable energy across state lines efficiently.
- Green Industrial Zones: Revitalizing former coal and manufacturing towns by building new factories for solar, wind, and battery technology.
- Strategic Subsidies: Directing investment toward domestic green manufacturing to compete globally and create high-tech jobs.
Long-Term Goals: Constitutional Reform
Some problems require constitutional amendments. These are 10-20 year organizing projects, not first-term achievements. But we should be honest about what’s needed and start building movements now.
Electoral College Abolition
- Reality: Constitutional amendment very difficult
- Alternative: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (already 209 of 270 electoral votes committed)
Overturn Citizens United
- Reality: Constitutional amendment very difficult
- Alternative: Public financing, disclosure requirements, shareholder approval for corporate political spending
Senate Reform (equal representation regardless of population)
- Reality: Constitutional amendment impossible (small states won’t agree)
- Alternative: DC and Puerto Rico statehood adds 4 senators representing millions currently unrepresented
Judicial Accountability: No One Is Above the Law
The judiciary is the third branch of government—but it has the weakest ethical enforcement. Supreme Court justices and federal judges make decisions affecting millions of Americans, yet they operate under voluntary ethics guidelines with no real enforcement.
That ends now.
The Judicial Ethics and Accountability Act
This legislation establishes binding, enforceable ethics standards for all federal judges, including Supreme Court justices.
What it includes:
Financial Integrity:
- Stock trading ban: Federal judges cannot trade individual stocks while serving on the bench
- Mandatory blind trusts: All judges must place investments in blind trusts managed by independent trustees
- Financial disclosure: Annual public reporting of all income, gifts, and financial relationships
- Recusal requirements: Automatic recusal when financial conflicts of interest exist
Institutional Checks:
- Binding Code of Ethics: Supreme Court justices subject to same enforceable ethics code as all other federal judges
- Independent oversight: Judicial Conduct Council with authority to investigate ethics violations
- Transparency requirements: Public disclosure of all meetings with litigants, lawyers, and interested parties
- Gift ban: No gifts, travel, or hospitality from parties with business before the courts
Enhanced Vetting:
- Psychological screening: Rigorous evaluation for ethical integrity and temperament
- Financial background checks: Thorough review of financial relationships and potential conflicts
- Public hearings: Extended confirmation process with detailed ethics questioning
Why this matters:
- The Supreme Court currently has the lowest ethical enforcement of any branch
- Justices have accepted luxury travel, gifts, and hospitality from billionaires with cases before the Court
- No binding ethics code means no real consequences for conflicts of interest
- Public trust in the judiciary is at historic lows—we must restore it
Constitutional authority:
- Article III gives Congress power to regulate the judiciary (except core judicial functions)
- Congress already sets ethics rules for lower federal courts—this extends them to Supreme Court
- Does not interfere with judicial independence—only ensures judges aren’t compromised by financial interests
The principle: Judges are public servants, not royalty. They must be held to the highest ethical standards, with real consequences for violations.
Paying for Progress: The Math Works
“This sounds expensive. How do we pay for it?”
We’re glad you asked. Unlike most political platforms, Project 2029 includes full scenario-based fiscal modeling: moderate and optimistic cases produce large surpluses, and even the conservative case sharply reduces the current deficit.
The Numbers (Annual, at Full Implementation)
NEW REVENUE:
- Progressive tax reform: $730B - $1.19T
- Defense spending cuts: $225B
- Healthcare savings (net): $100B - $320B
- TOTAL: $1.055T - $1.735T
NEW COSTS:
- Federal Job Guarantee: $340B - $680B (varies with unemployment)
- Education programs: $305B - $415B
- Strategic Green Subsidies & Grid Modernization: $100B
- Communication infrastructure operations: $25B
- Paid family & medical leave: $40B
- Digital modernization (including Sovereign ID & USDS 2.0): $13B
- Institutional Integrity (OPPI & IC-IG 2.0): $1.5B
- Public media & other programs: $9B
- TOTAL: $840B - $1.29T
NET ANNUAL FISCAL IMPACT:
- Conservative scenario: -$235 billion deficit* (Worst-case unemployment)
- Moderate scenario: +$330 billion surplus
- Optimistic scenario: +$895 billion surplus
Compare to current deficit of $1.7 trillion annually. Even in the worst case, Project 2029 reduces the deficit by 86%.
Police reform note: Law enforcement professionalization ($1.4B) is offset by ~$340-540M in savings (reduced lawsuits, insurance costs, improved outcomes), resulting in net cost of ~$860M-$1.06B. That’s $4.24 per American annually—less than a cup of coffee—to professionalize policing and save lives.
Note on one-time infrastructure costs:
- Universal broadband buildout: $150B one-time investment
- Funded through infrastructure bonds (paid back over 20 years by user fees and spectrum auctions)
- Annual debt service: ~$10B (included in $25B annual operations above)
How Healthcare Saves Money
This seems counterintuitive: How does expanding coverage save money? Here’s how:
Drug Price Negotiation: $200-300B annually
- Every other country negotiates drug prices; we should too
- Americans pay 2-3x what Canadians pay for same medication
- Medicare negotiation (now authorized by Inflation Reduction Act) saves massive amounts
Administrative Efficiency: $100-180B annually
- Medicare overhead: 2%
- Private insurance overhead: 12-18% (marketing, profit, claims denial)
- Public option leverages Medicare’s efficient infrastructure
- Simplified billing saves providers billions
Preventive Care: $50-90B annually
- Universal coverage means people see doctors before minor problems become expensive emergencies
- Chronic disease management reduces hospitalizations
- Prenatal care reduces expensive NICU stays
Total healthcare savings: $350-570 billion annually
These savings more than cover the cost of the public health insurance option ($150-250B), resulting in net savings of $100-320B while covering everyone.
How Defense Cuts Work
We spend more on defense than the next 10 countries combined. We can reduce spending 25% while maintaining readiness by eliminating waste.
Current baseline: ~$900 billion annually Target reduction: 25% = $225 billion annually Phased over 3 years: 5% (Year 1) → 15% (Year 2) → 25% (Year 3)
Where we cut:
- Cancel failed weapon systems with chronic cost overruns ($80-100B)
- Reduce defense contractor waste through audits and competitive bidding ($40-60B)
- Close excess bases and reduce overseas presence where allies can contribute more ($50-70B)
- Modernize force structure away from legacy platforms ($30-50B)
- Reduce Pentagon bureaucracy and consolidate agencies ($15-25B)
Precedent: After the Cold War (1990s), we reduced defense from 5.5% GDP to 3% GDP with no loss of readiness. We can do it again.
Nuclear Disarmament to Energy Conversion:
One specific defense efficiency opportunity deserves special attention: converting nuclear weapons material into civilian energy fuel.
The opportunity:
- U.S. maintains ~3,700 nuclear warheads (far more than needed for deterrence)
- Each warhead contains highly enriched uranium or plutonium
- This material can be converted to civilian nuclear fuel
- Reduces weapons stockpile while generating energy and revenue
Historical precedent:
- “Megatons to Megawatts” program (1993-2013): Successfully converted 500 metric tons of Russian weapons-grade uranium into civilian fuel
- Powered 10% of U.S. electricity for 20 years
- Generated revenue while reducing nuclear weapons
- Proved the concept works at scale
How it works:
- Dismantle excess nuclear warheads under international verification
- Down-blend weapons-grade material to civilian reactor fuel grade
- Sell fuel to power utilities (generates revenue)
- Use Federal Job Guarantee to employ high-skilled workers in conversion process
- Apply Antitrust Act to prevent corporate monopolization of fuel supply
Benefits:
- Defense efficiency: Reduces costly weapons maintenance while maintaining deterrence
- Energy security: Domestic fuel supply reduces dependence on foreign sources
- Fiscal responsibility: Generates revenue from assets that currently cost money to maintain
- Job creation: High-skilled employment in nuclear engineering and materials processing
- Environmental: Reduces weapons stockpile and provides low-carbon energy
Safeguards:
- Maintain sufficient deterrent force (experts estimate 300-500 warheads sufficient)
- International verification ensures materials go to civilian use
- Antitrust enforcement prevents private monopolization
- Federal oversight ensures public benefit, not just corporate profit
The principle: This is defense efficiency, not just energy policy. We’re converting expensive, dangerous assets into productive use while maintaining security. That’s rational national self-interest.
The Federal Job Guarantee: Detailed Costs
This is the biggest single program, so it deserves explanation.
The Concept:
- Government offers job to anyone who wants one
- $25/hour + benefits = ~$68K total compensation
- Meaningful work: infrastructure repair, elder care, education support, environmental restoration, arts programs
The Cost:
- 5 million enrollees: $340B annually
- 10 million enrollees: $680B annually
- Enrollment varies with private sector conditions (counter-cyclical)
The Savings (Offsets):
- Reduced unemployment insurance: $50-100B
- Reduced SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance: $50-100B
- Reduced crime and incarceration costs: $20-30B
- Reduced emergency services for chronic poverty: $10-20B
- Total offsets: $130-240B
Net cost: $179B - $536B depending on enrollment
Why this works:
- Automatic stabilizer: Expands during recessions (providing needed stimulus), shrinks during booms (preventing overheating)
- Sets wage floor: Private employers must match or exceed to attract workers
- Reduces poverty: Guarantees income for anyone willing to work
- Productive work: Addresses real unmet needs (crumbling infrastructure, elder care crisis)
International precedent:
- Argentina’s Plan Jefes y Jefas (2002-2005): 2 million participants
- India’s MGNREGA: 50+ million households, 40% reduction in poverty
- U.S. WPA (1935-1943): 8.5 million jobs, built infrastructure we still use
Phase-In Timeline Keeps Early Costs Lower
Full costs don’t hit immediately. Programs scale up over several years:
Year 1:
- Revenue: $200-300B (capital gains, estate tax, immediate reforms)
- Costs: $200-275B (pilot programs, design phases)
- Net: -$75B deficit to +$100B surplus (near balance)
Year 2:
- Revenue: $450-650B (top marginal rate implemented, FTT operational)
- Costs: $300-450B (expanding pilots, public option design)
- Net: roughly balanced to +$350B surplus
Years 3-5 (steady-state range):
- Revenue/savings: $1.055T-$1.735T (progressive tax reform + defense savings + net healthcare savings)
- Costs: $840B-$1.29T (programs at scale)
- Net: -$235B deficit to +$895B surplus (scenario-dependent)
Learning from Success Stories: This Works Elsewhere
“These ideas sound radical. Have they worked anywhere?”
Yes. Extensively. The radical part is that America doesn’t already do these things.
Progressive Taxation: Proven Success
High Top Marginal Rates:
- United States (1950s-1970s): 70-91% top rate during strongest middle-class growth
- Nordics (current): 55-65% top rates, thriving economies, high happiness
- Result: High rates on ultra-wealthy don’t kill growth; they fund quality public services
Wealth Taxes:
- Switzerland: Wealth tax for decades, 0.3-1% depending on canton; extremely wealthy population hasn’t fled
- Norway: 0.95% wealth tax; $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund; prosperous society
- Spain: Reintroduced wealth tax 2021; wealthy complain but don’t leave
Financial Transaction Tax:
- UK: 0.5% stamp duty on stock purchases since 1694; London still global financial center
- France: 0.3% FTT since 2012; minimal impact on markets
- Lesson: Modest transaction taxes don’t kill financial sectors
Universal Healthcare: Everyone Else Does This
Every developed nation has universal healthcare. All spend less than the U.S. All have better outcomes.
- Canada: Single-payer, 11% GDP, higher life expectancy than U.S.
- Germany: Public-private hybrid (like our proposal), 11% GDP, excellent quality
- UK: NHS, 10% GDP, universal coverage
- Australia: Medicare for all with private option, 9% GDP, works well
USA: 17% GDP, 8% uninsured, worst outcomes in developed world
Drug Prices:
- Every other country negotiates prices
- Same drug costs 2-10x more in U.S. than abroad
- Insulin: $98 in U.S., $12 in Canada
Labor Protections: High Wages Don’t Kill Jobs
High Minimum Wage:
- Australia: Effective minimum ~$25/hour including universal healthcare and pension; 3.7% unemployment
- Switzerland (Geneva): ~$25/hour minimum; thriving small business sector
- Germany: Raised minimum from €8.50 to €12 (2015-2022); unemployment fell from 5% to 3%
Strong Unions:
- Nordic countries: 60-80% union membership, sectoral bargaining; among world’s most competitive economies
- Germany: Works councils, employee representation on corporate boards; world-leading manufacturing economy
- Lesson: Strong labor protections correlate with strong economies
Paid Family Leave:
- Every developed nation except the U.S.: Has paid leave
- Their economies: Still function
- Their families: Less stressed, healthier children
Electoral Reform: Multi-Party Democracy Works
Ranked-Choice Voting:
- Australia: Used for 100+ years federally; stable democracy, multiple viable parties
- Ireland: Proportional representation, coalition governments, functional democracy
- Maine & Alaska (U.S.): Recently adopted; voters and officials pleased with results
Public Campaign Financing:
- Germany: Strict limits, public matching, disclosure; functional democracy with multiple parties
- NYC: Small-donor matching program; increases candidate diversity, reduces corruption
Government Digital Services: This Can Be Done Well
Estonia: 99% of government services online; e-residency program; highly efficient government UK: Gov.UK platform; user-friendly, consolidated services; international model Denmark: Digital-first government; high citizen satisfaction Singapore: Smart nation initiative; efficient, low-corruption public sector
Lesson: Government can deliver excellent digital services when properly resourced and designed.
What Success Looks Like: Measurable Goals
Bold reforms require accountability. Here’s how we’ll track progress:
Economic Justice (5-Year Goals)
Income Inequality:
- Gini coefficient from 0.49 → 0.42 (comparable to UK, Canada)
- Bottom 50% wealth share from 2% → 5%
- Top 1% wealth share from 32% → 28%
Wages:
- Median household income from $75K → $87K (16% real increase)
- Real wage growth: 3% annually (triple current rate)
Poverty:
- Overall poverty from 11.5% → 6% (cut in half)
- Child poverty from 16.2% → 5% (cut by 70%)
Healthcare Access (5-Year Goals)
Coverage:
- Uninsured from 8% → <1% (effectively universal)
- Underinsured from 23% → <10%
Costs:
- Healthcare spending from 17% GDP → 14% GDP (saving $600B+ annually)
- Average family premiums from $21K → $15K
- Medical bankruptcy: eliminated
Outcomes:
- Life expectancy increases to match other developed nations
- Infant mortality decreases to developed world average
Democracy and Participation (5-Year Goals)
Voter Turnout:
- Presidential elections from 66% → 75%
- Midterm elections from 49% → 60%
Campaign Finance:
- Small-donor (<$200) share of Congressional campaigns from 15% → 40%
- Average cost of winning House race decreases due to public financing
Multi-Party Viability:
- Third-party/independent representation in House: 10-30 members
- Ranked-choice voting eliminates spoiler effect
Government Efficiency (5-Year Goals)
Digital Services:
- 90% of government services available online
- 80% citizen satisfaction with digital services (vs. current ~40%)
Transparency:
- FOIA average response time from 65 days → <30 days
- 100% of federal spending data publicly available real-time
IRS Customer Service:
- Phone service level from 13% → 80% (actually answer the phone)
- Average processing time for refunds from 40 days → 21 days
Annual Public Accountability Report
Every year, the administration will publish a “Project 2029 Progress Report” with traffic-light scorecard:
- 🟢 Green: On track or ahead of target
- 🟡 Yellow: Behind schedule but recoverable
- 🔴 Red: Significant problems requiring course correction
When things aren’t working, we’ll acknowledge it and adjust. Accountability means transparency about both successes and failures.
Your Questions Answered
“Won’t wealthy people just leave the country to avoid taxes?”
Short answer: No, most won’t. And we have strong measures to prevent those who try.
Why they won’t leave:
- Limited mobility: Ultra-wealthy have businesses, families, social networks rooted here
- U.S. market access: Can’t access 330 million American consumers from abroad
- Historical precedent: Top rate was 70-91% from 1950s-1980s; no mass exodus occurred
- International examples: Switzerland and Norway have wealth taxes; their wealthy haven’t fled
What prevents those who try:
- Exit tax: 40% tax on unrealized capital gains if you renounce citizenship
- FATCA: Foreign banks must report U.S. citizen accounts
- OECD minimum tax: Global agreement on 15% minimum eliminates many tax havens
- Beneficial ownership reporting: End to anonymous shell companies
Bottom line: Some high-net-worth households will reassess tax planning and residency. Historical evidence indicates large-scale exit is limited, and revenue projections already incorporate behavioral responses.
“Won’t a $25 minimum wage hurt small businesses and cause job losses?”
Short answer: Evidence says no. High-wage countries have thriving small business sectors.
International evidence:
- Australia: ~$25/hour effective minimum, 3.7% unemployment
- Switzerland: ~$25/hour minimum, thriving economy
- Germany: Raised to €12 ($13.50), unemployment fell
U.S. evidence:
- Seattle: Raised to $15, restaurant employment increased
- Research: 50+ studies show minimal employment effects from moderate increases
How we mitigate concerns:
- Phased rollout over 3-5 years
- Small business tax credits (<50 employees)
- Federal Job Guarantee provides transition support for affected employees
Why it works:
- Higher wages = less turnover = lower hiring/training costs
- Higher wages = more customers with money to spend
- Higher wages = investment in productivity improvements
“Can government really run healthcare efficiently?”
Short answer: Government-run healthcare is demonstrably more efficient than U.S. private insurance.
The evidence:
- Medicare overhead: 2%
- Private insurance overhead: 12-18%
- Potential savings: $200-300B annually
International examples:
- Every developed nation has government-run or heavily regulated healthcare
- All spend less (9-12% GDP vs. U.S. 17%)
- All have better health outcomes (life expectancy, infant mortality)
How the public option works:
- Leverages existing Medicare infrastructure (don’t build from scratch)
- No profit motive (revenue goes to care, not shareholders)
- No marketing budget (private insurers spend billions on ads)
- Simplified billing (one system, not dozens)
- Competes with private insurance (if government is inferior, people choose private)
“Won’t stock buyback restrictions hurt my 401(k)?”
Short answer: No. Restrictions encourage long-term investment that benefits retirement savers.
Why buybacks are problematic:
- Buybacks were illegal as market manipulation until 1982
- Boost stock price temporarily but don’t create real value
- Alternative: invest in R&D, equipment, employee development (creates long-term growth)
What happens with restrictions:
- Companies invest in productive capacity instead of financial engineering
- If they want to return cash, they pay dividends instead
- Long-term growth improves over short-term manipulation
401(k) impact:
- Most 401(k)s hold investments for decades (long-term focus)
- Diversification means you benefit from productive companies over financial engineers
- Historical comparison: Stock market grew faster 1950-1980 (no buybacks) than 2000-2020 (buyback era)
“How does this reduce the deficit if it includes expensive new programs?”
Short answer: In moderate and optimistic scenarios, revenue/savings exceed costs; in the conservative scenario, the plan still cuts the current deficit dramatically.
The math (steady-state scenarios):
- Revenue/savings: $1.055T-$1.735T (tax reform, defense efficiency, healthcare savings)
- New costs: $840B-$1.29T
- Net impact: -$235B annual deficit (conservative) to +$895B annual surplus (optimistic)
Why healthcare saves money:
- Drug negotiation: $200-300B
- Administrative efficiency: $100-180B
- Preventive care: $50-90B
- Total: $350-570B saved
Current trajectory vs. Project 2029:
- Current: $1.7T deficit annually (growing)
- Project 2029: -$235B deficit (conservative) to +$895B surplus (optimistic)
- Net improvement: ~$1.47T-$2.60T per year
“Aren’t constitutional amendments impossible?”
Short answer: Yes, they’re extremely difficult. That’s why we pursue statutory alternatives that don’t require amendments.
Realistic strategy:
Electoral College:
- Amendment: Very difficult
- Alternative: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (state-level, 209 of 270 EVs committed)
Citizens United:
- Amendment: Very difficult
- Alternatives: Public financing, disclosure requirements, shareholder approval rules
Senate Reform:
- Amendment: Impossible
- Alternative: DC and Puerto Rico statehood (requires only Congressional majority)
Why we still mention amendments:
- Show long-term vision
- Build organizing movements
- Make statutory alternatives seem moderate by comparison
Lesson: Constitutional amendments are aspirational 10-20 year goals. We’ll deliver concrete progress through legislation while building long-term reform movements.
“Won’t courts block everything?”
Short answer: Some things, yes. We’re prepared for that.
Our litigation strategy:
- Prioritize legally sound actions first: Build credibility and momentum
- Document everything: Create robust administrative records to withstand judicial review
- Legislative backup plans: If courts strike down executive action, pass law instead
- Judicial appointments: Fill vacancies with judges committed to protecting ordinary Americans, consumers, and democratic principles
Accepting reality:
- Not every proposal will survive courts
- Focus on winning key battles (healthcare, voting rights, tax reform)
- Learn and adapt (if wealth tax struck down, shift to mark-to-market taxation)
- Over 4-8 years, transform composition of federal judiciary
“Won’t this cause inflation?”
Short answer: No. Several policies are actively deflationary, and the Federal Job Guarantee is designed as counter-cyclical.
Why this doesn’t cause inflation:
Federal Job Guarantee is counter-cyclical:
- Expands during recessions (when inflation is low, stimulus needed)
- Shrinks during booms (when inflation risk is high)
- Acts as automatic stabilizer, preventing overheating
Healthcare cost controls are deflationary:
- Drug price negotiation directly reduces prices
- Administrative efficiency reduces overall healthcare costs
- Healthcare is 17% of economy; reducing costs is deflationary
Progressive taxes reduce demand:
- Taxing wealthy (who save more) to fund programs for workers (who spend more) shifts but doesn’t necessarily increase aggregate demand
- Deficit reduction (if surplus is used to pay down debt) is deflationary
Potential inflation sources are limited:
- Federal Job Guarantee wage floor could push up low-end wages (that’s the point)
- This shifts income distribution but doesn’t necessarily increase overall demand
- Federal Reserve can still use monetary policy to manage aggregate demand
“What if the Political Establishment blocks the mandate?”
For too long, both major parties have been captured by the same narrow donor classes. Project 2029 is designed to break this “Duopoly” by making government performance visible to everyone in real-time.
Overcoming Obstruction:
- Executive Authority: Many Day 1-180 actions (like IRS shifts and drug price negotiations) use existing authority and can proceed without new laws.
- Accountability: If your representative—Republican or Democrat—blocks these reforms, you will see exactly how that decision affects your local economy through the Project 2029 Dashboard.
- Local Pressure: The Local Mandate Strategy ensures we aren’t just fighting in D.C.; we are building a bench of reformers in 500,000 local offices who aren’t beholden to national party machines.
Realistic assessment:
- This is an ambitious agenda that threatens the status quo of both party machines.
- It requires a Reform Coalition—including independents and non-captured members of any party.
- Some states may resist implementation initially, but the economic benefits (surplus, higher wages) will create a “race to the top” that makes obstruction politically unsustainable.
- That’s why local organizing and the “Uncontested Race” strategy matter.
“Is Project 2029 pro-capitalism or socialist?”
Short answer: Pro-capitalism in mechanics, social in outcomes. We’re building a high-functioning market economy that works for everyone.
The framework: Rational National Self-Interest
Project 2029 isn’t based on altruism or charity—it’s based on rational self-interest applied at a national scale. We invest in social programs not because it’s “nice,” but because it’s profitable and reduces systemic risk from corruption and market distortion.
Pro-capitalism mechanics:
- Free markets with fair competition: Antitrust enforcement ensures success is determined by merit, not monopoly power
- Fiscal responsibility: Scenario modeling ranges from a -$235B worst-case deficit (86% reduction vs. current) to a +$895B annual surplus
- Evidence-based policy: We use data from 30+ countries to prove what works, not ideology
- Earned benefits: Federal Job Guarantee is an exchange of labor for wages, not welfare
- Rule-based anti-rent-seeking enforcement: Breaking regulatory capture protects honest competition and long-term investment
Social outcomes:
- Universal programs funded by progressive taxation: Those who benefit most from our economic system contribute proportionally
- Rights as earned dividends: Healthcare, education, and economic security are the returns on our investment in a rational, productive society
- Permanent infrastructure, not temporary patches: These programs are the “operating system” that allows free enterprise to flourish on top
What we reject:
- Crony capitalism: Using political connections to gain unearned wealth
- Monopoly power: Corporations using force (regulatory capture) to crush competition
- Two-tier justice: Status-based enforcement where rank buys leniency
Bottom line: We’re not choosing between capitalism and socialism. We’re building a system where markets work fairly, corruption is punished, and everyone who contributes gets a fair return. That’s rational self-interest, not ideology.
“Why are these federal programs permanent instead of temporary?”
Short answer: Because the threats they address are permanent. You don’t remove your home’s locks just because there hasn’t been a break-in lately.
The “Operating System” philosophy:
Think of Project 2029 as installing a national operating system, not applying temporary patches:
- Permanent threats require permanent protections: Regulatory capture, monopoly power, and high-level corruption risk don’t go away—they require constant vigilance
- Business maintenance mindset: A rational business owner maintains their machinery. A rational society maintains its human capital (education, healthcare) and physical infrastructure
- Foundation for innovation: Federal programs provide the stable foundation that allows community programs, private enterprise, and innovation to flourish on top
- Earned dividends, not charity: These aren’t handouts—they’re the returns on our collective investment in a productive, stable society
Why temporary programs fail:
- Rent-seeking incentives don’t disappear: Actors will keep testing weak controls, so core safeguards must be permanent
- Prevention is cheaper than crisis response: Maintaining healthcare and education systems costs less than dealing with epidemics and economic collapse
- Stability enables growth: Businesses and families can plan for the future when they know basic systems are reliable
Historical precedent:
- Social Security (1935): Still essential 90 years later
- Medicare (1965): Still essential 60 years later
- Interstate Highway System (1956): Still essential 70 years later
- These weren’t “temporary programs”—they were infrastructure investments that paid dividends for generations
The principle: We’re not building a welfare state. We’re building a resilient foundation for prosperity that rewards contribution and discourages extraction.
“How does Project 2029 handle federal corruption and high-level insider abuse?”
Short answer: Through financial disarmament, independent enforcement, and treating elected officials as employees—not rulers.
The problem:
Right now, we have a two-tier system: one set of rules for ordinary Americans, another for well-connected insiders. Some elected officials use their positions to enrich themselves, face weak consequences for ethics violations, and operate as if they’re above the law.
Our solution: Multi-layered accountability
1. Financial Disarmament:
- Stock trading ban for Congress, Cabinet, and judges
- Mandatory blind trusts for all elected officials
- 10-year “revolving door” ban on lobbying
- Public disclosure of all financial relationships
2. Empowering Independent Watchdogs:
- Strengthen Inspectors General with universal jurisdiction
- Protect whistleblowers with independent enforcement agency
- Bypass compromised leadership through independent investigation authority
- Zero-tolerance enforcement with automatic DOJ referral
3. Breaking Regulatory Capture:
- Antitrust enforcement prevents monopolies from owning regulators
- Campaign finance reform ends “pay-to-play” politics
- Public financing of elections reduces dependence on wealthy donors
- Shareholder approval required for corporate political spending
4. Ending Judicial Immunity:
- Binding Code of Ethics for Supreme Court (currently voluntary)
- Financial conflict of interest prohibitions for all judges
- Independent oversight with real enforcement power
- Enhanced vetting for ethical integrity
5. Psychological Accountability:
- Psychological screening for law enforcement and senior appointees
- Performance and ethics audits for all elected officials
- Public reporting of audit results
- Truth in Service Mandate
The principle: Elected officials are our employees, not our rulers. They serve us, not their investment portfolios. And when they violate that trust, there must be real consequences—not just voluntary “ethics guidelines.”
Why this works: By removing the financial incentives for corruption, empowering independent watchdogs, and creating real consequences for violations, we make it structurally difficult to be corrupt. We’re not relying on “good people”—we’re building systems that make corruption unprofitable and dangerous.
“How does Project 2029 address AI and technology disruption?”
Short answer: Through structural solutions that manage the economic environment, not by trying to micromanage technology development.
The approach: Prepare people and systems, not control technology
1. Education as Digital Infrastructure:
- Universal pre-K through free public college ensures everyone can adapt to changing economy
- Media literacy and critical thinking skills help people navigate AI-generated content
- Lifelong learning programs help workers transition as jobs evolve
- STEM education prepares next generation for tech-driven economy
2. Federal Job Guarantee as Insurance:
- Provides employment safety net when automation displaces workers
- Funds retraining and skill development during transitions
- Ensures technological progress doesn’t create mass unemployment
- Counter-cyclical: expands when private sector contracts
3. Antitrust Enforcement Prevents Tech Monopolies:
- Breaks up companies that use market power to crush competition
- Prevents “winner-take-all” dynamics in AI development
- Ensures innovation benefits society, not just a few tech billionaires
- Stops regulatory capture by tech giants
4. Government Efficiency Through Technology:
- Open-source software for government systems
- Data portability and interoperability across agencies
- Digital Service modernization ($11B investment)
- Transparency through technology (public spending database)
5. Worker Protections in Tech Economy:
- Economic Opportunity and Fairness Act applies to gig economy and tech workers
- Right to organize extends to tech sector
- Portable benefits (healthcare, retirement) not tied to specific employer
- Wage floor ensures automation doesn’t drive race to bottom
What we DON’T do:
- Try to stop technological progress (impossible and counterproductive)
- Micromanage AI development (government isn’t equipped for this)
- Create complex regulatory frameworks that will be obsolete in 5 years
The principle: Technology will advance whether we’re ready or not. Our job is to ensure the economic benefits are broadly shared, workers have safety nets during transitions, and no single company can monopolize the future.
Why this works: By focusing on education, economic security, and fair competition, we create an environment where technological progress benefits everyone—not just those who own the algorithms.
“Does Project 2029 support a National Infrastructure Bank?”
Short answer: Yes, absolutely. It’s the practical machinery required to execute our infrastructure investment mandate.
Why it fits perfectly:
1. Evidence-based policy:
- Historical precedent: Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1930s) helped build America’s infrastructure
- “Megatons to Megawatts” program (1993-2013) successfully converted nuclear weapons to energy
- International examples: European Investment Bank, China Development Bank
- Proven model with decades of success
2. Supports Federal Job Guarantee:
- Infrastructure projects provide meaningful work for job guarantee participants
- High-skilled jobs (engineering, construction, project management)
- Builds national assets while providing employment
- Counter-cyclical: expands during recessions when private construction slows
3. Rational National Self-Interest:
- Treats infrastructure as assets to maintain, not liabilities to avoid
- “Business owner” mindset: maintain your machinery or it breaks down
- Generates returns through economic growth and efficiency gains
- Reduces long-term costs by preventing infrastructure failure
4. Fiscal responsibility:
- Infrastructure bonds paid back over 20-30 years by user fees
- Projects generate economic returns that exceed borrowing costs
- Prevents “penny wise, pound foolish” deferred maintenance
- Annual debt service included in fiscal projections
5. Protected from regulatory capture:
- Must operate under Antitrust Act to prevent monopolization
- Transparency requirements prevent “wallets” of private contractors from capturing process
- Institutional Restoration Framework ensures it serves public, not private interests
- Independent oversight prevents corruption
How it works:
- Federal government capitalizes bank with initial investment
- Bank issues bonds to finance infrastructure projects
- Projects selected based on economic return and public benefit
- User fees and economic growth pay back bonds over time
- Revolving fund continues to finance new projects
The principle: America’s infrastructure is crumbling because we treat it as an expense instead of an investment. A National Infrastructure Bank treats our physical systems as assets to be maintained—which is exactly what rational self-interest requires.
How We Get There: The Road Ahead
This agenda is achievable, but it requires political will—and that means organizing, mobilizing, and winning elections at every level.
What You Can Do
1. Spread the word
- Share this document on social media
- Talk to friends, family, coworkers about these policies
- Challenge the narrative that we “can’t afford” basic social programs
2. Get organized
- Join organizations fighting for these policies
- Support candidates who endorse this agenda
- Pressure current elected officials to commit
3. Vote—and help others vote
- Every election matters: federal, state, local
- Help register voters in your community
- Volunteer as poll worker or election protection volunteer
4. Support fair labor practices
- Advocate for competitive wages and benefits in your industry
- Support businesses that treat employees fairly
- Exercise your freedom of association rights when appropriate
5. Demand accountability
- Track whether officials deliver on promises
- Show up to town halls and public meetings
- Make noise when they cave to corporate interests
The Stakes
The current system is unsustainable. Inequality is at Gilded Age levels. Medical bankruptcy is a uniquely American phenomenon among developed nations. Young people can’t afford housing, healthcare, or education despite being more productive than ever. Our democracy is for sale to the highest bidder. Climate change threatens civilization.
We can continue on this path—toward oligarchy, dysfunction, and decline.
Or we can choose a different path.
Project 2029 is a roadmap to an America that works for everyone, not just the best-connected insiders.
The policies outlined here aren’t radical. They’re common sense—common in the rest of the developed world, and common sense to anyone paying attention.
Universal healthcare. Living wages. Affordable housing. Quality public services. Transparent government. Democracy that reflects the popular will.
This isn’t too much to ask. It’s the bare minimum we should expect.
The only question is: Are we willing to fight for it?
The Project 2029 Victory Matrix
We define success across three tiers, ensuring we deliver immediate value while building toward a generational transformation.
| Tier | Victory Level | What You’ll See |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | The Floor (Must-Win) | Universal Judicial Ethics, immediate lower drug prices, and the Healthcare Public Option. This is the minimum needed to restore our government. |
| Tier 2 | The Mandate (Should-Win) | Full passage of the Twelve Acts, the $50M+ wealth tax, and the $25/hour Wage Floor. This is the core of the new American Dream. |
| Tier 3 | The Legacy (Aspirational) | DC/Puerto Rico Statehood, Constitutional Amendments (Citizens United), and a true Multi-Party system. |
Conclusion: Fulfilling America’s Promise
For too long, these policies have been dismissed as impossible, unrealistic, or unaffordable because short-term interests dominate the status quo.
The math works. The evidence is clear. The policies are proven elsewhere.
What’s been missing is political will—the courage to challenge monopolistic power, align contributions with system benefits, and restore opportunity for all Americans.
This isn’t a radical departure from American values. It’s a return to them. From our founding principles of equality and justice, to Teddy Roosevelt’s Progressive Era trust-busting, to FDR’s New Deal that built the greatest middle class in history—America has always been at its best when we chose fairness over monopoly, opportunity over privilege, and the common good over concentrated wealth.
Project 2029 is a blueprint for that renewal. It’s comprehensive, it’s bold, and it’s achievable. Most importantly, it’s deeply American—rooted in our Constitution’s promise to promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for all.
But it won’t happen by itself. It requires all of us—entrepreneurs, employees, small business owners, families, and communities—organizing and voting to demand an economy and a democracy that work for everyone, not just those with privileged access.
The American people are ready. The question is whether our political system can rise to meet this moment.
Let’s reclaim the American Dream.
Other Versions
- Project 2029: Technical Edition - Full technical/legislative version with legal analysis, constitutional authority assessments, and detailed implementation timelines
- Return to Home Page - Choose between technical and public versions
Project 2029 is a living document. This “We The People” edition is designed for public engagement and education. For detailed legal analysis, implementation timelines, and policy specifics, see the technical edition.
Last updated: February 2026