Project 2025 Targets Federal Workforce: Are Joint Base San Antonio Employees’ Emails at Risk?
As the countdown toward the election of 2024 continues, quite a bit more regarding the substantial scope of Project 2025 is coming under closer scrutiny. The additional inspection of the plan “for the next conservative administration” has revealed a facet of the project that suggests the real “Big Brother” image does not include the government but exists with those who seek to change what the government is doing—namely, the authors and supporters of Project 2025.
Employees Found On the Other Side Will Be Replaced By MAGA Loyalists
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that compiled the blueprint for the “next conservative administration,” has reportedly filed thousands of public information requests, clogging the pipeline at federal agencies in an apparent attempt to “find employees a potential Trump administration would want to purge” from civil service jobs, and reportedly replace them with MAGA loyalists.
San Antonio: A Federal Workforce Powerhouse
San Antonio plays a critical role in the nation’s federal workforce. Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), which comprises four primary locations—Fort Sam Houston, Camp Bullis, Randolph AFB, and Lackland AFB—is home to 67,350 direct employees as of 2023, with 32,333 of them being active duty. When indirect employees are included, the total workforce at JBSA is estimated to be much higher. Given the size and scope of JBSA, any large-scale targeting of federal workers has the potential to severely disrupt San Antonio’s labor market and morale within the installations.
Project 2025 and FOIA Requests: A Deep Dive into Email Privacy Concerns
Some of Project 2025’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests have sought identification of and emails from various federal agency employees whose correspondence included keywords like “climate change,” “equity,” “voting rights,” “sexual orientation,” “gender identity and expression,” “ACLU,” “The Native American Rights Fund,” “Rock the Vote,” and “Fair Count,” an organization founded by Democratic politician and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams.
The think tank’s requests have even included browser histories and server data used by Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Further requests targeted communications that mentioned “Trump” and “Reduction in Force,” a term that refers to layoffs.
What Federal Workers Need to Know About Project 2025’s Public Information Requests
Heritage Foundation leaders have allegedly been promoting a controversial plan designed to remove job protections for tens of thousands of career civil servants, should Donald Trump win the Presidential election. According to reports, the former president has made it clear that his administration would aim to overhaul the Department of the Interior, which protects the nation’s natural resources, including hundreds of millions of acres of land. Under President Biden, the department has prioritized tackling climate change, making it a potential target for future personnel changes.
Some of the FOIA requests, sent to agencies like the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, focus heavily on identifying personnel. One such request asked for the names of “all employees who entered into a position at the agency as a political appointee since January 20, 2021,” the first day of the Biden Administration.
Joint Base San Antonio in Focus: The Impact on Local Federal Employees
Considering these suspect FOIA requests, there’s growing concern about their potential effects on the workforce at Joint Base San Antonio. How would the targeting of federal workers affect morale and the day-to-day operations at JBSA, which is central to both national defense and San Antonio’s economy? JBSA workers may be particularly vulnerable to these information requests, which seek to probe their communications for topics that align with the Biden Administration’s priorities on equity, climate change, and more.
With such a large portion of San Antonio’s workforce connected to JBSA, any mass dismissals or targeting of civil servants could ripple through the broader local economy, affecting livelihoods and stability.
Protecting San Antonio’s Federal Workforce Amid Political Scrutiny
As San Antonio’s federal workers face the potential fallout of Project 2025’s scrutiny, it is crucial for the community to stay informed and engaged. The upcoming election on November 5, 2024, will be pivotal in determining the future of federal workforce policies. High voter turnout will be essential to ensure that the people’s voice is heard and that the results reflect the will of the community.
When all things are considered, the intensity of voter turnout must be at the highest levels. There is no question as to what results we, the people desire from the upcoming election on November 5, 2024.
If We want to Change Policies, We Change Policymakers.
If We want to Change Laws, We Change Lawmakers.
