The Al Franken Podcast Al and Norm Ornstein on The Blueprint for Trump's Cruelty
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Jun 7, 2026 
Norm Ornstein, political scholar and AEI emeritus fellow known for his expertise on Congress and democratic erosion. They unpack Project 2025 as the administration's playbook. They describe assaults on the federal workforce and aid cuts with dire human costs. They examine immigration crackdowns, rising foreign entanglements, corrosive cabinet flattery, and what a Democratic counterplan might look like.
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Project 2025 Is The Administration's Blueprint
- Project 2025 is the administration's operational blueprint focused on dismantling federal functions and social protections.
- Norm Ornstein says Russell Vought, Project 2025's architect, now at OMB, used it to drive mass firings and systemic overhaul against federal norms.
Cuts To USAID Damaged Global Health Response
- The administration gutted USAID and public health capacity, causing life-saving aid to stop and contributing to international disease crises.
- Ornstein cites food and medicine rotting in warehouses, AIDS meds withheld, and an 80% cut to Congo aid that weakened Ebola response.
Immigration Hardline Is Backfiring With Hispanic Voters
- Massive immigration crackdowns from Project 2025 are alienating Hispanic voters who swung to Trump in 2024.
- Ornstein notes citizens realize nativist policies can target families broadly, producing Democratic gains in places like Texas and Florida.