Thomas F. Gilman is the author of the chapter in the Mandate for Leadership concerning the Department of Commerce. His bio in the book says that he “served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration and Chief Financial Officer of the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Trump Administration” and that “he is a Director of ACLJ Action and Chairman of Torngat Metals.” He also “had a 40-plus year career as a senior executive and entrepreneur in the global automotive industry.”
The chapter on the Department of Commerce all but calls for it to be disbanded. Specifically, various bureaus and programs should be “consolidated with other programs and/or eliminated.” The Mandate for Leadership makes this comment: “former assistant secretary of commerce Thomas F. Gilman describes the Department of Commerce as dominated by career staff who are uninterested in implementing the President’s priorities. The department clearly needs far more political leadership, including at the Census Bureau, as Gilman notes.”
Clearly? No. Clearly, the Census Bureau does not need more political leadership; the census should be as nonpolitical and as fact-based as possible. For example, the census plays a key role in determining congressional districts and should not be slanted to favor a political party. Other departments can also be said to not need a political slant, for example the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to Gilman, the NOAA should be “dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories.” Why should the NOAA be wiped out? One reason is that it reports on global warming, and Project 2025 aims to silence and censor any mention by the U.S. government of global warming. As for privatization and state-level control, Project 2025 is reliably in favor of them, even when, as is the case with weather reporting, public ownership in the public interest and nationwide (and planet-wide) rather than piecemeal data-gathering are warranted. The weather does not care about state boundaries, and neither should weather research and reporting. Also, weather information should be free, so that Americans do not have to pay to know about the weather, including possible weather-related disasters.
Similarly, there is a notable lack of evidence that the Bureau of Economic Affairs, which is part of Commerce, does not conduct its statistical analysis in a consistent and objective manner, so one wonders what Gilman means when he implies that the bureau is inconsistent and subjective in its analyses. Does the bureau sometimes reach conclusions that challenge conservative beliefs? Gilman and Project 2025 are partisan, so the burden of proof is on them regarding any claims that the bureau would become less partisan and more objective if Project 2025 is implemented.
After all, Gilman claims that there has been a “precipitous economic decline sparked by the Biden Administration.” This is, to be frank, a lie. This is the Biden administration’s economic record thus far: The much-anticipated recession has not occurred. Unemployment is low, and the stock market is high. Inflation in the United States is lower than in other countries. While there are criticisms that may be made of the economy during the Biden administration, it is a gross misrepresentation to say that the economy has suffered a precipitous decline. Gilman damages his credibility by making such a partisan statement.
Similarly, for example, while the Census Department’s website may need improvement, while various agencies within Commerce may be redundant, and while the government may tend to grow rather than shrink over time, and while these issues may need remedies, a program of hurried politicization and privatization is not going to be an improvement. What such a program could well do, however, is cement conservative power, self-dealing, and ideology in the federal government. This would effectively make the government less representative of the American people, since the American populace includes moderates and liberals. Also, Project 2025 aims to increase defense spending, and defense is one of the most notable parts of the government’s discretionary spending. If the conservatives of Project 2025 truly wished to reduce the federal government rather than take it over and use it against perceived enemies, the place to start reductions would be the Department of Defense.
In sum, Gilman, as part of Project 2025, advocates for climate denialism and the politicization of agencies that should be politically independent and politically neutral.
