'I'm advocating Christian nationalism': Josh Hawley's ties to Project 2025 exposed

Two staffers for Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) are credited as contributors to the controversial conservative “presidential transition” plan, Project 2025, according to a Raw Story review of the 922-page document.

John Ehrett, chief counsel for Hawley since April 2023, according to LinkedIn and Congressional research website LegiStorm, is cited as a contributor to the plan from conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, that calls for curtailing abortion access, increasing deportations, eliminating government agencies like the Department of Education and banning transgender athletes from sports as part of a plan for a conservative presidency.

The contributor credit states Ehrett’s affiliation with the “Office of Senator Josh Hawley.”

Two papers written by Vijay Menon, a legislative assistant for Hawley since March 2022, according to LinkedIn and LegiStorm, are cited in the Project 2025 document as well.

A 2019 paper co-authored by Menon advocates for the repeal of the Community Eligibility Provision in the National School Lunch Program, saying it “converts a federal assistance program meant to help families in need into an entitlement.” More than 71.2 million reimbursable school lunches were served in Missouri during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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A 2018 report cited in the document is titled, “Understanding the Hidden $1.1 Trillion Welfare System and How to Reform It.” The Heritage Foundation said it came up with the 2016 figure from "Office of Management and Budget documents and other official government sources.”

Ehrett and Menon did not respond to Raw Story’s questions, nor did communications staff for Hawley’s congressional office and campaign.

Another Republican Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) told NBC Montana in August that he wasn’t aware that Chris Anderson, a national security adviser for his congressional office since May 2022, was credited as working on Project 2025. The contributor credit states his affiliation with the “Office of Senator Steve Daines.”

“In fact, the first I heard of that, I remember the press mentioned it. Look, there’s individuals here in Capitol Hill that work on lots of projects,” Daines told NBC Montana.

Anderson did not immediately respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

“I literally have not seen it,” Daines said to NBC Montana about Project 2025. “I spoke to President Trump about it, and he hasn’t seen it. Look, it’s something he’s not supporting.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has disavowed Project 2025, but his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), has close ties with the Heritage Foundation and its founder, Forbes reported. According to CNN, more than 140 former Trump administration officials were involved in its creation.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is directly quoted in the document saying, “The next conservative president must dismantle the administrative state and return power back to the states and the American people. This publication is a blueprint to do just that.”

Heritage Foundation ties

Hawley and several of his current and former congressional staff members have worked with the Heritage Foundation.

During the Heritage Foundation Leadership Summit in April 2023, Hawley credited the Heritage Foundation with helping “inspire my interest in conservative policy” during a summer internship in 2000.

Hawley spoke at the Heritage Foundation another time in February of that year for a speech called, “China and Ukraine: A Time for Truth.”

Hawley has been particularly vocal about advocating for Christian nationalism, and such principles are found throughout the Project 2025 document.

“Some will say I’m calling America a Christian nation. And so I am. Some will say I’m advocating Christian nationalism. And so I do. My question is: Is there any other kind worth having?” Hawley said at the National Conservatism Conference in July, The New Republic reported.

For example, a Project 2025 chapter on the “Department of Labor and other related agencies” by Jonathan Berry emphasizes Christian principles and “service to God.”

“The Judeo-Christian tradition, stretching back to Genesis, has always recognized fruitful work as integral to human dignity, as service to God, neighbor, and family. And Americans have long been known for their work ethic," the document says. "While it is primarily the culture’s responsibility to affirm the dignity of work, our federal labor and employment agencies have an important role to play by protecting workers, setting boundaries for the healthy functioning of labor markets, and ultimately encouraging wages and conditions for jobs that can support a family."

Current Hawley legislative assistant, Menon, was a former research assistant in domestic policy studies for the Heritage Foundation, according to its website. His LinkedIn says he was a graduate fellow and research assistant between June 2017 and March 2019.

Layne Nichols, a legislative correspondent for Hawley since January, completed a congressional fellowship with the Heritage Foundation this year from April to June, according to his LinkedIn. Nichols did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Former Hawley staffers went on to work for the Heritage Foundation, including Alex Velez-Green, who worked with Hawley’s congressional office for at least four years, most recently as a national security adviser. He is now a senior policy adviser with the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation.

Eric Teetsel was Hawley’s chief of staff until September 2022 when he moved on to serve as vice president, government relations for the Heritage Foundation for two years.

The Heritage Foundation did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.

Hawley is running for reelection against Democrat Lucas Kunce. A September survey of voters by Emerson College Polling and The Hill showed Hawley polling with 51 percent of the vote and Kunce with 40 percent.

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