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Activism
/ February 17, 2026
The Right Had a Plan. We Need One Too.
America should build things again, and we the people should own what we build.
Corbin Trent
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Russell Vought (left), architect of the Mandate for Leadership, more commonly known as Project 2025, and director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), stands alongside Mark Paoletta (right), general counsel at the OMB, during the Trump administration’s announcement of the rescission of the Obama-era endangerment finding in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2026. (Will Oliver / EPA / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The New York Times recently reported that four conservative operatives spent the Biden years quietly building the legal and regulatory infrastructure to kill the federal government’s ability to fight climate change. Russell Vought. Jeffrey Clark. Mandy Gunasekara. Jonathan Brightbill. They drafted executive orders. They got Heritage Foundation money. They solicited white papers from friendly scientists. They built the whole thing in secret so nobody could stop them before it was done.
Now they’re about to revoke the endangerment finding, the scientific determination that has underpinned every federal climate regulation since 2009. Myron Ebell, who’s been attacking climate science for damn near three decades, told the Times they were “pretty close to total victory.” He’s not wrong. They didn’t tweak the rules. They removed the foundation the rules were built on. Any future administration that wants to regulate greenhouse gases has to start from nothing. Four people did that. Four people and a plan and some think tank money and 16 years of patience.
I love Bernie Sanders. Let me just say that. He is the reason I got into politics. My first political job was on the Sanders campaign. I cofounded Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats because of what he started. I am a Bernie stan and will be until the day I die.
But when Bernie says we need to overturn Citizens United, I need him to finish that thought. Because overturning Citizens United requires a constitutional amendment. Two-thirds of both chambers of Congress, or a convention of states. Supermajorities in the House and Senate. Dealing with a Supreme Court that is openly hostile to everything we believe in. These are massive generational undertakings, and nobody on our side is building the infrastructure to accomplish any of them. The crowd cheers because the idea is right. Then everybody goes home and nothing gets built.
Current Issue
March 2026 Issue
Build a wall. Round up immigrants. Drill, baby, drill. These are terrible ideas. But …
What's the endgame here?
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The Right Had a Plan. We Need One Too.
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Magazine
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Current Issue
Activism
/ February 17, 2026
The Right Had a Plan. We Need One Too.
America should build things again, and we the people should own what we build.
Corbin Trent
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Russell Vought (left), architect of the Mandate for Leadership, more commonly known as Project 2025, and director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), stands alongside Mark Paoletta (right), general counsel at the OMB, during the Trump administration’s announcement of the rescission of the Obama-era endangerment finding in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2026. (Will Oliver / EPA / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The New York Times recently reported that four conservative operatives spent the Biden years quietly building the legal and regulatory infrastructure to kill the federal government’s ability to fight climate change. Russell Vought. Jeffrey Clark. Mandy Gunasekara. Jonathan Brightbill. They drafted executive orders. They got Heritage Foundation money. They solicited white papers from friendly scientists. They built the whole thing in secret so nobody could stop them before it was done.
Now they’re about to revoke the endangerment finding, the scientific determination that has underpinned every federal climate regulation since 2009. Myron Ebell, who’s been attacking climate science for damn near three decades, told the Times they were “pretty close to total victory.” He’s not wrong. They didn’t tweak the rules. They removed the foundation the rules were built on. Any future administration that wants to regulate greenhouse gases has to start from nothing. Four people did that. Four people and a plan and some think tank money and 16 years of patience.
I love Bernie Sanders. Let me just say that. He is the reason I got into politics. My first political job was on the Sanders campaign. I cofounded Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats because of what he started. I am a Bernie stan and will be until the day I die.
But when Bernie says we need to overturn Citizens United, I need him to finish that thought. Because overturning Citizens United requires a constitutional amendment. Two-thirds of both chambers of Congress, or a convention of states. Supermajorities in the House and Senate. Dealing with a Supreme Court that is openly hostile to everything we believe in. These are massive generational undertakings, and nobody on our side is building the infrastructure to accomplish any of them. The crowd cheers because the idea is right. Then everybody goes home and nothing gets built.
Current Issue
March 2026 Issue
Build a wall. Round up immigrants. Drill, baby, drill. These are terrible ideas. But …
The Right Had a Plan. We Need One Too.
What's the endgame here?
Log In
Email *
Password *
Remember Me
Forgot Your Password?
Log In
New to The Nation? Subscribe
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Skip to content Skip to footer
The Right Had a Plan. We Need One Too.
Magazine
Newsletters
Subscribe
Log In
Search
Subscribe
Donate
Magazine
Latest
Archive
Podcasts
Newsletters
Sections
Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
Events
Contact Us
Advertise
Current Issue
Activism
/ February 17, 2026
The Right Had a Plan. We Need One Too.
America should build things again, and we the people should own what we build.
Corbin Trent
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Russell Vought (left), architect of the Mandate for Leadership, more commonly known as Project 2025, and director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), stands alongside Mark Paoletta (right), general counsel at the OMB, during the Trump administration’s announcement of the rescission of the Obama-era endangerment finding in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 12, 2026. (Will Oliver / EPA / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The New York Times recently reported that four conservative operatives spent the Biden years quietly building the legal and regulatory infrastructure to kill the federal government’s ability to fight climate change. Russell Vought. Jeffrey Clark. Mandy Gunasekara. Jonathan Brightbill. They drafted executive orders. They got Heritage Foundation money. They solicited white papers from friendly scientists. They built the whole thing in secret so nobody could stop them before it was done.
Now they’re about to revoke the endangerment finding, the scientific determination that has underpinned every federal climate regulation since 2009. Myron Ebell, who’s been attacking climate science for damn near three decades, told the Times they were “pretty close to total victory.” He’s not wrong. They didn’t tweak the rules. They removed the foundation the rules were built on. Any future administration that wants to regulate greenhouse gases has to start from nothing. Four people did that. Four people and a plan and some think tank money and 16 years of patience.
I love Bernie Sanders. Let me just say that. He is the reason I got into politics. My first political job was on the Sanders campaign. I cofounded Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats because of what he started. I am a Bernie stan and will be until the day I die.
But when Bernie says we need to overturn Citizens United, I need him to finish that thought. Because overturning Citizens United requires a constitutional amendment. Two-thirds of both chambers of Congress, or a convention of states. Supermajorities in the House and Senate. Dealing with a Supreme Court that is openly hostile to everything we believe in. These are massive generational undertakings, and nobody on our side is building the infrastructure to accomplish any of them. The crowd cheers because the idea is right. Then everybody goes home and nothing gets built.
Current Issue
March 2026 Issue
Build a wall. Round up immigrants. Drill, baby, drill. These are terrible ideas. But …
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