Project 2025 Tracker / What’s done, what’s next

Section 1 · Taking the Reins of Government

2 Executive Office of the President

43–68 · Russ Vought

Russ Vought, who wrote this chapter, holds a post in the part of government it covers: Director, Office of Management and Budget. Since Feb 6, 2025.

  • 20 done
  • 16 partially done
  • 5 attempted
  • 32 not started

Major recommendations (8)

What has happened

The Mandate said

“The President should instruct the CEQ to rewrite its regulations implementing NEPA along the lines of the historic 2020 effort and restoring its key provisions such as banning the use of cumulative impact analysis.”

+1 more citation

What happened

Partially done

CEQ adopted the removal as a final rule. Its September 2025 memorandum and template guide agency procedures; CEQ itself has no NEPA regulations to reinstate.

The Mandate said

“Finally, the President should work with Congress to establish a sweeping modernization of the entire permitting system across all departments and agencies that is aimed at reducing litigation risk and giving agencies the authority to establish programmatic, general, and provisional permits.”

What happened

Attempted

The House passed the SPEED Act (H.R. 4776), a NEPA-focused permitting overhaul, 221–196 (roll call 356). It was received in the Senate the same day and referred to Environment and Public Works, where it remains.

The Mandate said

“As with other federal departments and agencies, the Biden Administration's leveraging of the federal government's resources to further the woke agenda should be reversed and scrubbed from all policy manuals, guidance documents, and agendas, and scientific excellence and innovation should be restored as the OSTP's top priority.”

What happened

Partially done

EO 14303 directed OSTP to issue "Gold Standard Science" guidance and every agency to revise or rescind the scientific-integrity policies adopted 2021–2025, revoking changes made under the January 2021 scientific-integrity memorandum. The directive covers what the Chapter asks for; agency-by-agency completion is not documented on allowlisted sources.

The Mandate said

“Finally, the President should work with Congress to establish a sweeping modernization of the entire permitting system across all departments and agencies that is aimed at reducing litigation risk and giving agencies the authority to establish programmatic, general, and provisional permits.”

What happened

Attempted

Executive side: presidential memorandum ordered CEQ to produce a Permitting Technology Action Plan and a Permitting Innovation Center — modernization by administrative means, not the legislation the Mandate asks for.

The Mandate said

“The President should instruct the CEQ to rewrite its regulations implementing NEPA along the lines of the historic 2020 effort and restoring its key provisions such as banning the use of cumulative impact analysis.”

+1 more citation

What happened

Partially done

CEQ removed all of its NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508) by interim final rule rather than rewriting them along 2020 lines; the Biden-era rules are gone, but no CEQ rule restoring the 2020 provisions was issued. Agencies were told to write their own procedures.

Still to come

Executive action 29

  1. 47 Reinstate administrative PAYGO Notable Not started
  2. 49 Strengthen Executive Order 13132 on federalism Notable Not started
  3. 50 Sign an updated version of EO 12630 on federal takings Notable Not started
  4. 52 Have the NSC review all general and flag officer promotions Notable Not started
  5. 55 Dispose of legacy trade advisory committees serving special interests Notable Not started
  6. 59 Issue an executive order reshaping the U.S. Global Change Research Program Notable Not started
  7. 60 Make the FPISC Executive Director an EOP appointee with directive authority Notable Not started
  8. 46 Route OMB instructions through the Budget Review Division Minor Not started
  9. 46 Appoint an OMB General Counsel willing to challenge legal precedent Minor Not started
  10. 46 Empower an OMB Deputy Director over Management, the PADs, and OIRA Minor Not started
  11. 46 Have the OMB Director set a fiscal goal early in budget development Minor Not started
  12. 49 Separate OIRA advance-consultation staff from rule reviewers Minor Not started
  13. 50 Strengthen use of the Information Quality, Paperwork Reduction, and Privacy Acts Minor Not started
  14. 51 Assign senior NSC officials accountability for named policy initiatives Minor Not started
  15. 51 Make politically vetted appointees the NSC's day-to-day interagency managers Minor Not started

and 14 more →

Needs Congress 3

  1. 50 Enact the Regulatory Accountability Act, SMART Act, GOOD Act, and REINS Act Major Not started
  2. 52 Fold the Office of the National Cyber Director into the NSC Notable Not started
  3. 49 Fund FTEs for OIRA regulatory advance teams Minor Not started

All recommendations in this chapter

Every recommendation this chapter is the home of, in printed-page order.

  1. 45 Restore apportionment sign-off to OMB's Program Associate Directors Done
  2. 46 Route OMB instructions through the Budget Review Division Not started
  3. 46 Appoint an OMB General Counsel willing to challenge legal precedent Not started
  4. 46 Empower an OMB Deputy Director over Management, the PADs, and OIRA Not started
  5. 46 Have the OMB Director set a fiscal goal early in budget development Not started
  6. 47 Split OMB's six Resource Management Offices into smaller units with more PADs Partially done
  7. 47 Reinstate administrative PAYGO Not started
  8. 48 Use federal contracts to push back against woke corporate policies Done
  9. 48 Direct OPPM to set agency performance goals reflecting the President's agenda Done
  10. 49 Continue and strengthen the Made in America Office Done
  11. 49 Maintain Executive Order 12866 as the basis of OIRA review Done
  12. 49 Maintain OIRA review of Treasury regulatory actions Done
  13. 49 Extend OIRA review and regulatory analysis to independent agencies Done
  14. 49 Undo Biden changes to EO 12866 and OMB Circular A-4 Done
  15. 49 Reinstate Executive Orders 13891 and 13892 on agency guidance documents Partially done
  16. 49 Reverse the decline in OIRA funding Needs Congress Attempted
  17. 49 Fund FTEs for OIRA regulatory advance teams Needs Congress Not started
  18. 49 Separate OIRA advance-consultation staff from rule reviewers Not started
  19. 49 Revive eight Trump regulatory executive orders (13771, 13777, 13891–13893, 13979, 13980) Partially done
  20. 49 Strengthen Executive Order 13132 on federalism Not started
  21. 50 Sign an updated version of EO 12630 on federal takings Not started
  22. 50 Strengthen use of the Information Quality, Paperwork Reduction, and Privacy Acts Not started
  23. 50 Revise OMB's Uniform Guidance for Grants and Agreements Partially done
  24. 50 Enact the Regulatory Accountability Act, SMART Act, GOOD Act, and REINS Act Needs Congress Not started
  25. 50 Enact the Midnight Rules Relief Act Needs Congress Attempted
  26. 50 Use the Congressional Review Act to undo Biden-era midnight rules Needs Congress Partially done
  27. 51 Eliminate NSC directorates not aligned with the President's agenda Partially done
  28. 51 Assign senior NSC officials accountability for named policy initiatives Not started
  29. 51 Make politically vetted appointees the NSC's day-to-day interagency managers Not started
  30. 51 Let the NSC adjudicate and hold its own security clearances Not started
  31. 52 Put the NSC in charge of drafting and reviewing all formal national strategies Partially done
  32. 52 Have NSC and OMB review war plans and global force allocations Not started
  33. 52 Have the NSC review all general and flag officer promotions Not started
  34. 52 Consolidate the Homeland Security Council into the NSC Done
  35. 52 Fold the Office of the National Cyber Director into the NSC Needs Congress Not started
  36. 52 Return all nonessential NSC detailees to their home agencies on day one Day one Done
  37. 52 Staff most NSC directorates with aligned political appointees Partially done
  38. 53 Give the NSC its own counsel Not started
  39. 54 Have the NEC Director chair a standing meeting of EOP principals Not started
  40. 54 Coordinate international economic policy entirely from the NEC Not started
  41. 55 Empower the USTR to set trade policy from the White House Partially done
  42. 55 Dispose of legacy trade advisory committees serving special interests Not started
  43. 56 Use the CEA as the senior internal White House economists Not started
  44. 56 Guarantee the CEA a seat at the policymaking table Partially done
  45. 57 Shift CEA senior economist hiring to the White House calendar and Presidential Personnel Not started
  46. 59 Raise the prominence of the OSTP Director Done
  47. 59 Narrow the Industries of the Future R&D priorities Done
  48. 59 Issue an executive order reshaping the U.S. Global Change Research Program Not started
  49. 59 Have OSTP and OMB assess the independence of USGCRP research contractors Not started
  50. 60 Refuse to accept USGCRP assessments prepared under the Biden Administration Attempted
  51. 60 Confine USGCRP-related EOP research components to an advisory role Not started
  52. 60 Separate scientific risk assessment from risk management Not started
  53. 60 Scrub woke-agenda policies from all manuals, guidance documents, and agendas Partially done
  54. 60 Reinstate the 2020 Trump CEQ NEPA regulations Partially done
  55. 60 Write NEPA rules that limit judicial review and remedies Partially done
  56. 60 Make the FPISC Executive Director an EOP appointee with directive authority Not started
  57. 61 Issue an executive order creating a unified permitting process for major infrastructure Partially done
  58. 61 Create a White House Senior Advisor for energy and environment policy Partially done
  59. 61 Abolish the Office of Domestic Climate Policy Done
  60. 61 Eliminate the Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Carbon Done
  61. 61 End the use of social cost of carbon analysis by executive order Done
  62. 61 Enact a sweeping modernization of the federal permitting system Needs Congress Attempted
  63. 61 Make the fentanyl crisis the top drug policy priority Done
  64. 61 Have the ONDCP Director consult federal border enforcement officials Done
  65. 62 Put a political appointee in charge of the ONDCP budget office Not started
  66. 62 Transfer ONDCP's two grant programs to DOJ and HHS Needs Congress Attempted
  67. 62 Stop ONDCP grants from funding woke nonprofits Partially done
  68. 62 Ensure ONDCP is managed by committed political appointees Done
  69. 62 Revoke Executive Order 14020 and all Gender Policy Council policies Done
  70. 62 Abolish the Gender Policy Council Done
  71. 62 Appoint a Special Assistant to the President for life and family policy Not started
  72. 63 Staff the Office of the Vice President with strong policy minds Not started
  73. 63 Give the OVP a seat in budget and regulatory review Not started