Interstate Transport Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/s/246
Last Updated: September 7, 2026

Sponsored by

Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

ID: B001305

Follow the money

The bill

Interstate Transport Act of 2025

S. 246, 119th Congress — read as touching Firearms & Ammunition.

The sponsor

Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$85,668 raised

20 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

70% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Department of Transportation" section, p. 673-675 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 268.

November 17, 2025

Introduced

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.

🏛️

Committee Review

🗳️

Floor Action

✅

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another brilliant piece of legislation from the geniuses in Congress. Let me just put on my surgical gloves and dissect this mess.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Interstate Transport Act of 2025 is a masterclass in Orwellian doublespeak, masquerading as a bill to "protect the right of law-abiding citizens to transport knives interstate." In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to appease the knife lobby (yes, that's a thing) and create a national standard for transporting knives. Because, you know, the biggest threat to public safety is clearly not being able to carry your trusty blade across state lines.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill essentially overrides local and state laws regarding knife transport, allowing individuals to carry knives in their vehicles or on their person as long as they're contained in a locked container. Because nothing says "public safety" like a bunch of angry people driving around with knives in their cars.

Oh, and there's also a lovely provision that allows for the expungement of records related to arrests made under this law. Because who needs accountability when you can just erase it?

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved here:

* The knife lobby (again, yes, that's a thing) * Gun rights groups (because knives are basically just guns with blades, right?) * Law enforcement agencies (who will have to deal with the inevitable fallout from this bill) * And, of course, the general public (who will be blissfully unaware of the impending knife-filled doom)

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a perfect example of legislative malpractice. It's a solution in search of a problem, created by politicians who are more interested in appeasing special interest groups than actually addressing real issues.

The potential impact? More knives on the roads, more opportunities for accidents and conflicts, and more headaches for law enforcement agencies trying to deal with the fallout. And let's not forget the inevitable lawsuits that will arise when someone gets hurt because of this bill.

In short, this bill is a knife to the heart of common sense and public safety. But hey, at least it'll make some politicians look good to their donors.

Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$85,668
16 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$0
Committees
$0
Individuals
$85,668

No PAC contributions found

No organization contributions found

No committee contributions found

1
NAZIROV, ATABEK
2 transactions
$13,200
2
MACFARLANE, RON
1 transaction
$13,068
3
HEGYI, ALBERT P MR.
1 transaction
$6,600
4
TAYLOR, WILLIAM MR.
2 transactions
$6,600
5
GREENBLATT, SCOTT MR.
2 transactions
$6,600
6
COOLEY, WILLIAM O MR.
2 transactions
$6,600
7
FROST, BRANT IV
1 transaction
$3,300
8
FROST, KRISTA
1 transaction
$3,300
9
MARION, RANDALL LEON MR.
1 transaction
$3,300
10
HILLMAN, ROBERTA W MRS.
1 transaction
$3,300
11
HILLMAN, TATNALL LEA CAPT.
1 transaction
$3,300
12
MARION, BETTY MRS.
1 transaction
$3,300
13
DONOHUE, THOMAS
1 transaction
$3,300
14
CASCARILLA, CHARLES
1 transaction
$3,300
15
CASCARILLA, MARISSA
1 transaction
$3,300
16
GREEN, JEFF
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 8 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

ID: W000779

Top Contributors

30

1
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$2,000
Dec 12, 2024
2
MOHEGAN TRIBE OF INDIANS OF CONNECTICUT
OrganizationUNCASVILLE, CT
$1,000
Dec 28, 2023
3
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$1,000
Dec 30, 2023
4
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSIONS INDIANS
OrganizationLOS ANGELES, CA
$1,000
Mar 26, 2024
5
SHAKOPEE MDWEKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,000
Jun 12, 2024
6
SHAKOPEE MDWEKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,000
May 31, 2023
7
MS BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS
OrganizationCHOCTAW, MS
$1,000
Dec 31, 2023
8
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationDURANT, OK
$550
Oct 3, 2023
9
RENO-SPARKS INDIAN COLONY
OrganizationRENO, NV
$500
Jul 18, 2023
10
RENO-SPARKS INDIAN COLONY
OrganizationRENO, NV
$500
Sep 10, 2024

Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]

ID: C000880

Top Contributors

25

1
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationBANNING, CA
$3,300
Jun 30, 2023
2
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationLOS ANGELES, CA
$2,000
Dec 19, 2024
3
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,000
Apr 30, 2024
4
ONEIDA NATION
OrganizationONEIDA, WI
$1,000
Sep 10, 2024
5
RENO-SPARKS INDIAN COLONY
OrganizationRENO, NV
$500
Sep 10, 2024
6
ARNOLD, JOHN D. MR.
NONE • RETIRED
IndividualHOUSTON, TX
$6,600
May 6, 2024
7
LEPRINO, TERRY L
NONE • RETIRED
IndividualDENVER, CO
$3,300
Nov 1, 2024
8
BUKOWSKY, BRANT
MORTGAGE RESEARCH CENTER • ENTREPRENEUR
IndividualCOLUMBIA, MO
$3,300
Oct 9, 2023
9
BUKOWSKY, BROCK
VETERANS UNITED • FINANCE
IndividualCOLUMBIA, MO
$3,300
Nov 28, 2023
10
SILBEY, ALEXANDER
ATS COMMUNICATIONS, INC. • CONSULTANT
IndividualWASHINGTON, DC
$3,300
Dec 21, 2023

Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

ID: H001046

Top Contributors

71

1
JSTREETPAC
CONDUIT TOTAL LISTED IN AGG. FIELD
PACWASHINGTON, DC
$1,000
Apr 19, 2024
2
SAN PABLO LYTTON TRIBE
OrganizationSAN PABLO, CA
$21,600
Oct 5, 2023
3
PUEBLO OF LAGUNA
OrganizationLAGUNA, NM
$5,800
Sep 30, 2024
4
PUEBLO OF SAN ILDEFONSO
OrganizationSANTA FE, NM
$5,000
Oct 30, 2024
5
CHEROKEE NATION
OrganizationTAHLEQUAH, OK
$5,000
Oct 23, 2024
6
CHEROKEE NATION
OrganizationTAHLEQUAH, OK
$5,000
Dec 5, 2023
7
THE CHICKASAW NATION
OrganizationADA, OK
$5,000
Oct 15, 2024
8
SAN PABLO LYTTON TRIBE
OrganizationSAN PABLO, CA
$3,962
May 10, 2024
9
AK-CHIN INDIAN COMMUNITY
OrganizationMARICOPA, AZ
$3,300
Oct 22, 2024
10
MATCH-E-BE-NASH-SHE-WISH BAND OF POTTAWATOMI INDIANS
OrganizationSHELBYVILLE, MI
$3,300
Oct 22, 2024

Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]

ID: D000618

Top Contributors

30

1
CONFEDERATED SALISH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES OF THE FLATHEAD NATI
OrganizationPABLO, MT
$6,600
Mar 30, 2023
2
BARONA BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationLAKESIDE, CA
$5,000
Jun 18, 2024
3
BLUECHIP FINANCIAL
OrganizationBELCOURT, ND
$3,300
Jun 20, 2024
4
HPUL PROJECT OPERATION
OrganizationUPPER LAKE, CA
$3,300
Jun 20, 2024
5
EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS
OrganizationCHEROKEE, NC
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
6
SUQUAMISH INDIAN TRIBE
OrganizationSUQUAMISH, WA
$3,300
Sep 20, 2024
7
ALABAMA-COUSHATTA TRIBE
OrganizationLIVINGSTON, TX
$2,500
Oct 31, 2024
8
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,000
Jun 5, 2024
9
MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION
OrganizationOKMULGEE, OK
$1,000
Jun 20, 2024
10
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationDURANT, OK
$765
Oct 17, 2023

Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]

ID: P000595

Top Contributors

43

1
MATCH-E-BE-NASH-SHE-WISH BAND OF POTTAWATOMI INDIANS
OrganizationSHELBYVILLE, MI
$3,300
Oct 22, 2024
2
STRATEGIC LINK CONSULTING, LP
OrganizationKENNESAW, GA
$3,300
May 28, 2024
3
MUCKLESHOOT INDIAN TRIBE
OrganizationAUBURN, WA
$3,300
Aug 11, 2023
4
OTOE MISSOURIA TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationRED ROCK, OK
$2,900
May 29, 2024
5
HABEMATOLEL POMO OF UPPER LAKE TRIBE OF CALIFORNIA
OrganizationUPPER LAKE, CA
$2,900
May 29, 2024
6
TURTLE MOUNTAIN BAND OF CHIPPEWA TRIBE OF NORTH DAKOTA
OrganizationBELCOURT, ND
$2,900
May 28, 2024
7
CHEROKEE NATION
OrganizationTAHLEQUAH, OK
$2,500
Jan 9, 2024
8
HABEMATOLEL POMO OF UPPER LAKE TRIBE OF CALIFORNIA
OrganizationUPPER LAKE, CA
$2,500
Jun 30, 2024
9
OTOE MISSOURIA TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationRED ROCK, OK
$2,500
Jun 30, 2024
10
TURTLE MOUNTAIN BAND OF CHIPPEWA TRIBE OF NORTH DAKOTA
OrganizationBELCOURT, ND
$2,500
Jun 30, 2024

Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]

ID: R000584

Top Contributors

21

1
CRW RESOURCES
OrganizationCOEUR D ALENE, ID
$1,000
Feb 29, 2024
2
SNELL, PETER
ARBELLA CAPITAL • REAL EATATE
IndividualARLINGTON, VA
$5,000
May 8, 2024
3
KAYALI, ZEID
SELF • PHYSICIAN
IndividualPASADENA, CA
$3,500
Feb 9, 2023
4
MOORE, JEFFREY
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualLAS VEGAS, NV
$3,435
Nov 19, 2024
5
KTELEH, TAREK
RHEUMATOLOGY • DOCTOR
IndividualFISHERS, IN
$3,300
Dec 23, 2024
6
ALAAMA, ABDUL M.D.
SELF • GASTROENTEROLOGY
IndividualWHITTIER, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
7
ASHOURI, DIANA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA • PHYSICIAN
IndividualPASADENA, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
8
DIAB, MOHAMED KHEIR
MASIMO CORPORATION • DIRECTOR
IndividualLADERA RANCH, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
9
MOUJTAHED, SAED
OWL REXALL INFUSION • DIRECTOR
IndividualTRABUCO CANYON, CA
$3,300
Feb 9, 2023
10
MONSEN, MARION F
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualSUN VALLEY, ID
$3,300
Sep 6, 2023

Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]

ID: L000571

Top Contributors

20

1
HEGYI, ALBERT P
1ST FINANCIAL BANK USA • BANKER
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$6,600
Dec 6, 2023
2
MANDELBLATT, DANIELLE
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualASPEN, CO
$6,600
Sep 26, 2024
3
MANDELBLATT, ERIC
SOROBAN CAPITAL PARTNERS LP • MANAGING PARTNER
IndividualASPEN, CO
$6,600
Sep 26, 2024
4
SAMANI, PYAHM
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$5,800
Aug 8, 2023
5
CASCARILLA, MARISSA
NA • HOMEMAKER
IndividualMIAMI, FL
$3,700
Apr 1, 2024
6
CASCARILLA, CHARLES
PAXOS • CEO
IndividualMIAMI, FL
$3,700
Apr 1, 2024
7
DOWNS, RAISSA
TARPLIN, DOWNS AND YOUNG, LLC • CONSULTANT
IndividualWASHINGTON, DC
$3,600
Dec 12, 2024
8
SCARAMUCCI, ANTHONY
SKYBRIDGE • MANAGING PARTNER
IndividualPLANDOME, NY
$3,435
Jul 30, 2024
9
HOBART, ROBERT
VENTURE GOVERNMENT STRATEGIES • CONSULTANT
IndividualNASHVILLE, TN
$3,435
Aug 5, 2024
10
HOLDING, KATHLEEN MS.
SUNLIGHT RANCH CO. • EXECUTIVE
IndividualDAYTON, WY
$3,300
Dec 6, 2023

Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]

ID: B001261

Top Contributors

32

1
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
COMATMORE, AL
$3,300
May 24, 2023
2
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
COMATMORE, AL
$3,300
Sep 20, 2024
3
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
COMLOS ANGELES, CA
$2,500
Dec 31, 2024
4
ALABAMA-COUSHATTA TRIBE
COMLIVINGSTON, TX
$1,000
Jun 29, 2023
5
MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION
COMOKMULGEE, OK
$1,000
Oct 30, 2024
6
TO PROTECT OUR HERITAGE
OrganizationSKOKIE, IL
$5,000
Jun 26, 2024
7
TO PROTECT OUR HERITAGE
OrganizationSKOKIE, IL
$5,000
Jun 26, 2024
8
EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS
OrganizationCHEROKEE, NC
$3,300
Jun 11, 2024
9
EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS
OrganizationCHEROKEE, NC
$3,300
Jun 11, 2024
10
UTE INDIAN TRIBE
OrganizationFORT DUCHESNE, UT
$3,300
Nov 13, 2024

Donor Network - Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 33 nodes and 35 connections

Total contributions: $35

Top Donors - Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]

Showing top 16 donors by contribution amount

16 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 helped.

  • +Firearms & Ammunitionconfidence 0.90

    Section 2(b)(1) protects the right to transport knives for lawful purposes, which benefits the firearms and related weapons industry by expanding market access and reducing legal barriers to interstate transport of knives, which are often categorized similarly to firearms in state laws.

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Department of Transportation

Moderate
Vector: 60%
Pages: 673-675AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill aligns with Project 2025's Department of Transportation focus on reducing regulatory burdens and enhancing individual freedoms in transportation, particularly through federal preemption of conflicting state laws. However, the specific focus on knife transport is not explicitly addressed in the provided Project 2025 excerpt, resulting in moderate rather than strong alignment."

Key themes:federal preemptiontransportation regulationindividual rightsstate law uniformityinterstate travel

— 640 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise ENDNOTES 1. U.S. Department of Transportation, 2023 Budget Highlights, p. 1, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot. gov/files/2022-03/Budget_Highlights_FY2023.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 2. U.S. Department of Transportation, DEIA [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility] Strategic Plan FY22– FY26, p. 2, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-09/DOT%20DEIA%20Strategic%20Plan. pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 3. 23 U.S. Code §§ 601–609, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/23 (accessed March 3, 2023). 4. U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, “Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures,” Final Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 84, No. 248 (December 27, 2019), pp. 71714–71734, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/regulations/361831/fed-reg-published-final-admin- rule.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 5. U.S. Department of Transportation, Build America Bureau, “About the Build America Bureau,” last updated October 24, 2022, https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/about (accessed March 3, 2023). 6. S. 622, Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Public Law No. 94-163, 94th Congress, December 22, 1995, https:// www.congress.gov/94/statute/STATUTE-89/STATUTE-89-Pg871.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 7. 42 U.S. Code Chapter 85, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/chapter-85 (accessed March 3, 2023). 8. U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Model Years 2024–2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks,” Final Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 87, No. 84 (May 2, 2022), pp. 25710–26092, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-05- 02/pdf/2022-07200.pdf (accessed March 10, 2023). 9. U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, “Defining Unfair or Deceptive Practices,” Final Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 85, No. 235 (December 7, 2020), pp. 78707–78718, https://www.transportation.gov/ sites/dot.gov/files/2020-12/Defining%20Unfair%20or%20Deceptive%20Practices%20Final%20Rule%20-%20 85%20FR%2078707.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 10. U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, “Procedures in Regulating Unfair or Deceptive Practices,” Final Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 87, No. 22 (February 2, 2022), pp. 5655–5659, https://www. govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-02-02/pdf/2022-01589.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 11. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2023, p. 1, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-04/FAA_Budget_Estimates_FY2023.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 12. Robert W. Poole, Jr., Organization and Innovation in Air Traffic Control, Hudson Institute Initiative on Future Innovation, November 2013, https://www.hudson.org/sites/default/files/researchattachments/ attachment/1199/poole_hi_res.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). Also published subsequently as Reason Foundation Policy Study No. 431, January 2014, https://reason.org/wp-content/uploads/files/air_traffic_ control_organization_innovation.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 13. H.R. 3684, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law No. 117-58, 117th Congress, November 15, 2021, https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ58/PLAW-117publ58.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 14. S. 6, Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, Public Law 88-365, 88th Congress, July 9, 1964, https://www. govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-78/pdf/STATUTE-78-Pg302-2.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). 15. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, “About Us,” last updated March 23, 2022, https:// www.maritime.dot.gov/about-us (accessed March 4, 2023). 16. H.R. 10378, Merchant Marine Act of 1920, Public Law 66-261, 66th Congress, June 5, 1920, https://govtrackus. s3.amazonaws.com/legislink/pdf/stat/41/STATUTE-41-Pg988.pdf (accessed March 3, 2023). — 641 — 20 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Brooks D. Tucker MISSION STATEMENT The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the primary provider of health care, benefits, and memorial affairs for America’s veterans and their families. The VA has the noble responsibility to render exceptional and timely support and services with respect, compassion, and competence. The veteran is at the forefront of every VA process and interaction. The VA must continually strive to be recognized as a “best in class,” “Veteran-centric”1 system with an organizational ethos inspired by and accountable to the needs and problems of veterans, not subservient to the parochial preferences of a bureaucracy. OVERVIEW At the end of the Obama Administration, the VA was held in low esteem both by the veterans it served and by the employees who served these former warriors. Eroding morale caused by the downstream effects of a health care access crisis in 2014 led to the resignation of Secretary Eric Shinseki and extensive oversight investigations by Congress from 2015–2016. By 2020, however, the VA had become one of the most respected U.S. agencies. This significant progress was due in part to the leadership of Secretary Robert Wilkie (2018–2021) and his team of political appointees and career senior executives, many of them veterans, who led the effort to ensure that the VA became “Veteran-centric” in its governance decisions and fostered a more positive work environment. This mindset translated into a department that was better attuned to employees’ and veterans’ needs and experiences in the daily operations of health care, benefits,

Department of Justice

Weak
Vector: 61%
Pages: 587-589AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill focuses on facilitating interstate transport of knives for lawful citizens, while the Project 2025 DOJ policy emphasizes aggressive prosecution of drug trafficking, border security, RICO use, and countering foreign threats. Both involve interstate activity and federal preemption, but their substantive goals and mechanisms are largely unrelated."

Key themes:interstate commercefederal preemptionlaw enforcement

— 555 — Department of Justice 1. Rigorously prosecute as much interstate drug activity as possible, including simple possession of distributable quantities.46 Recent efforts to create the impression that drug possession crimes are not serious offenses has contributed to the explosion of criminal organization activities in the United States. 2. Aggressively deploy the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO),47 which Congress expressly created to empower the Department of Justice to treat patterns of intrastate- level crimes, such as robbery, extortion, and murder, as federal criminal conduct for criminal organizations and networks. The next Administration can use existing tools while it works with Congress to develop new tools. l Secure the border,48 which is the key entry point for many criminal organizations and their supplies, products, and employees. Mexico— which is arguably functioning as a failed state run by drug cartels—is the main point of transit for illegal drugs produced in Central and South America, fentanyl precursors from the Chinese Communist Party–led People’s Republic of China,49 weapons, human smuggling and trafficking, and other contraband. Mexican drug cartels, including the dominant Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), are the main drivers of fentanyl production and distribution in the United States. The southwestern land border is sufficiently porous that Mexican drug cartels have operational control of large sections of the border, which facilitates easy movement of product and personnel. These cartels are also violent and not afraid to demonstrate force on both sides of the border. Their conduct represents a clear and present danger to the United States and its citizens. In addition to finalizing the southwestern land border wall, the next Administration should take a creative and aggressive approach to tackling these dangerous criminal organizations at the border. This could include use of active-duty military personnel and National Guardsmen to assist in arrest operations along the border—something that has not yet been done. A new and forceful approach to interdiction will have a ripple effect on the operations of these criminal organizations, which currently operate freely without concern for criminal prosecution, and will lay the necessary groundwork for initial prosecutions of these organizations and their leaders. It is critical that the federal government staunch the flow of drugs by preventing the far-too-easy access to the United States that now exists. — 556 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise There can be no serious dispute that the Biden Administration has opened the southwest border to whomever wants to enter and that some of those entrants are smuggling fentanyl into the country. More than 100,000 Americans died in a one-year period from opioid overdoses, and many of them died specifically from having used fentanyl.50 The federal government should treat this problem as aggressively as necessary. Enforcing the customs and immigration laws is a matter of life and death. PURSUING A NATIONAL SECURITY AGENDA AIMED AT EXTERNAL STATE AND NON-STATE ACTORS, NOT U.S. CITIZENS EXERCISING THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS The Department of Justice plays a vital role in protecting our national security, and it must not refrain from engaging in public initiatives that identify our adver- saries and educate the American people about their activities. The DOJ’s China Initiative under President Trump reflected the department’s priority of combating Chinese threats to our national security.51 Because China was accountable for approximately 80 percent of all prosecutions for economic espionage and approximately 60 percent of all thefts of trade secrets, then-At- torney General Jeff Sessions set key goals for the China Initiative that included development of an enforcement strategy concerning researchers in labs and universities who were being coopted into stealing critical U.S. technologies, iden- tification of opportunities to address supply-chain threats more effectively, and education of colleges and universities about potential threats from Chinese influ- ence efforts on campus. In February 2022, the Biden Administration terminated the department’s China Initiative largely out of a concern for poor “optics.”52 While the Biden Administra- tion correctly identified China as America’s “only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it,”53 it folded in the face of political cor- rectness and sent the message that liberal sensitivities outweighed bringing justice to threats from China. The next conservative Administration should therefore: l Restart the China Initiative. l Pursue other programs to educate the American people about the real and dangerous threats to our national security and economic security that are posed by actors across the globe, most notably China and Iran. l Ensure that it is agile enough to devote sufficient resources and attention to other emerging threats that involve federal interests

Department of Transportation

Weak
Vector: 60%
Pages: 658-660AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"Both the bill and the Project 2025 DOT section address transportation regulation, but the bill focuses on knife transport rights while the policy emphasizes automated vehicles, innovation, safety tech-neutrality, and spectrum allocation, resulting only tangential overlap."

Key themes:transportation regulationinterstate travelsafety considerations

— 625 — Department of Transportation security, and privacy without hampering innovation. DOT can oversee the testing and deployment of a wide variety of new technologies, allowing communities and individuals to choose what best fits their needs. It is the role of the private sector, not the government, to pick winners and losers in technology development. If a technology underperforms, the private sector should be liable, not the government. The department should ensure a tech-neutral approach to addressing any emerging transportation technology while keeping safety as the number one priority. As part of this, it should work to facilitate the safe and full integration of automated vehicles into the national transportation system. Over time, these advanced technologies can save lives, transform personal mobility, and provide additional transportation opportunities—including for people with disabili- ties, aging populations, and communities where car ownership is expensive or impractical. NHTSA’s and FMCSA’s current regulations were written before the advent of automated vehicles and driving systems. Both operating administrations have issued Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemakings (ANPRMs) that begin the pro- cess of updating their regulations to reflect this new technology. However, these regulations have stalled under the Biden Administration, which has chosen to use the department’s tools to get people to take transit and drive electric vehicles instead of helping people to choose the transportation options that suit them best. l NHTSA should work to remove regulatory barriers by focusing on updating vehicle standards as well as publishing performance-based rules for the operations of automated vehicles (AVs). l FMCSA should work to clarify the regulations to align with DOT’s AV 3.0 guidance, which would allow the drivers to be safely removed from the operations of a commercial motor vehicle. From a nonregulatory point of view, DOT has pivoted from a successful focus on the voluntary sharing of data to improve safety outcomes to adoption of a more compulsory and antagonistic approach to mandating data collection and publica- tion through a Standing General Order related to automated vehicles. This needs to be reversed. Many of these new and innovative technologies rely on wireless communica- tions that depend on the availability and purchase of radio frequency spectrum, a trend that is consistent with what we see in connectivity in our everyday lives. There is a role for DOT in ensuring that in the fight over spectrum, transportation gets its fair share. For technologies to work in transportation, and in particular to work for transportation safety, they have to meet the unique needs of a transportation

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

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