Who are the named Project 2025 authors and where have they been appointed across the current administration?
Executive summary
A significant number of individuals who authored or contributed to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 have been nominated, appointed, or confirmed to roles in the current Trump administration, including high-profile placements such as Russell Vought at OMB, John Ratcliffe at the CIA, and Brendan Carr at the FCC . Journalistic tallies vary—Axios reported at least 18 nominees drawn from Project 2025 while Newsweek and other outlets count dozens of contributors placed in the administration—illustrating both concentrated recruitment from the project’s personnel database and differing methods of counting affiliation .
1. Prominent Project 2025 authors who hold senior White House and cabinet jobs
Russell “Russ” Vought, described by multiple outlets as a chief architect of Project 2025, was named to a key White House role and confirmed as director of the Office of Management and Budget; reporting notes he authored a chapter on presidential authority for the project . John Ratcliffe, credited as a Project 2025 contributor on intelligence matters, was nominated and confirmed as CIA director after previously serving as director of national intelligence . Brendan Carr, who authored the FCC chapter in Project 2025, was nominated to chair the Federal Communications Commission and had previously served as an FCC commissioner .
2. Other named authors and senior nominees placed across agencies
Project 2025 contributors tapped for administration roles include Paul S. Atkins (nominated for SEC chair), Peter Navarro (appointed Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing), Tom Homan (returning as border adviser), Monica Crowley (serving in State/treasury-related roles), and Troy Edgar and Jon Feere in Department of Homeland Security and other posts, according to aggregated reporting from AP, BBC, Forbes, Newsweek and others [1]. Reporters document that at least 18 to more than 30 Project 2025-linked people have been nominated or placed, depending on whether counting includes contributors, instructors, advisory-board members or those cited in footnotes .
3. Pattern: recruitment from the Project’s database and Heritage networks
Project 2025 was more than a policy book; it included a “conservative LinkedIn” personnel database and training academy that transition officials reportedly used to fill posts, and press accounts say the transition and administration drew on that pool—supporting the pattern of appointments from the project’s authors and contributors . The Atlantic, FactCheck and others describe Project 2025 as a combined policy blueprint and talent pipeline that organizers intended to supply vetted appointees for a conservative administration .
4. Disputes, denials, and how counting methods affect perception
President Trump publicly distanced himself from Project 2025 during the campaign, and some contributors downplayed their roles during confirmation hearings, while critics called the blueprint authoritarian and Christian-nationalist—claims the Heritage Foundation and some supporters reject—so public statements about links are mixed and politically contested . Different outlets use different definitions—Axios counted at least 18 nominees tied explicitly as authors or contributors, Newsweek counted 31 individuals with some Project 2025 ties, and the New York Times traced hundreds of contributors in broader rolls—so the headline totals depend on methodology .
5. What the placements suggest about policy direction and risks cited by critics
Analysts and labor groups argued that installing Project 2025 authors into regulatory, intelligence, and management posts signals an intent to realign agencies with the blueprint’s priorities—ranging from expanding executive authority to reshaping regulatory independence and education policy—observations echoed across AP, The Atlantic, BBC, and advocacy reporting . Opponents warn these appointments could politicize civil service functions and regulatory independence; supporters argue the appointees are qualified conservatives implementing a coherent agenda—both frames appear repeatedly in the coverage .
Conclusion
Reporting across mainstream outlets converges on a core fact: multiple named authors and contributors to Project 2025 now occupy influential roles in the administration, with prominent examples including Vought (OMB), Ratcliffe (CIA), Carr (FCC), and a roster of other nominees and appointees whose exact count varies by outlet and definition . Where the sources diverge is in characterization and in the numerical scope of “ties,” so any tally depends on whether one counts primary chapter authors, broader contributors, instructors, or advisory-board affiliates .