PROJECT 2029

Imagining a More Perfect Union

Introducing Project 2029

Project 2029 began as a deliberate shift in how I use imagination. More than thirty-five years ago, I made dystopian films that imagined political and social futures shaped by fear, institutional failure, and concentration of power. At the time, those futures felt exaggerated—useful as warnings, but safely distant from reality. Over time, many of the conditions those films explored stopped feeling speculative and began to feel familiar. That experience changed how I think about storytelling and political imagination. If dystopian futures can move from fiction into lived experience, then imagination is not neutral. It shapes what people expect, accept, and resign themselves to. Project 2029 is a conscious decision to move in the opposite direction—to use imagination not to warn, but to build. Project 2029 is a speculative policy project built on a clear assumption: progressive Democrats win governing power in a decisive landslide and choose to govern decisively. The project does not argue for that outcome, respond to opponents, or engage in contemporary political debate. It begins after the election is over and the mandate is established. From that starting point, Project 2029 asks a practical question: what policies could be enacted when a governing majority has a mandate and chooses to govern decisively? The project unfolds through fictional executive orders, agency directives, policy initiatives, and proposed constitutional amendments. These documents are written in the language [...]

Day One Executive Orders

Executive Order – Enforcement and Recovery of Unlawful Self-Enrichment from Public Office (Speculative)

SUMMARY January 20, 2029 President Orders Enforcement and Recovery of Unlawful Self-Enrichment from Public Office Today, the President signed an Executive Order directing the identification, disclosure, and recovery of profits derived from the misuse of public office for personal enrichment. The Order affirms that federal officials have always held office as fiduciaries of the public, and that personal profits obtained through licensing, branding, naming rights, or similar arrangements tied to official authority were never lawful. The Order instructs federal agencies to enforce existing ethics, forfeiture, and unjust enrichment laws to recover improperly obtained funds for the public treasury. It clarifies ethical [...]

Executive Order – Jan 6 (Speculative)

SUMMARY January 20, 2029 President Orders Preservation and Public Access to the Historical Record of the January 6 Attack on American Democracy Today, the President signed an Executive Order directing the preservation, organization, and lawful public accessibility of the historical and judicial record related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. The Order affirms that while presidential pardons resolve criminal liability, they do not erase historical facts, judicial findings, or the public record. The initiative is designed to safeguard democratic memory, ensure transparency, and support civic education—without imposing punishment, stigma, or retaliation against any individual. PRESS RELEASE [...]

Executive Order – East Wing Restoration (Speculative)

SUMMARY January 20, 2029 President Orders Removal of Unauthorized State Ballroom and Restoration of the White House East Wing Today, the President signed an Executive Order directing the complete demolition of the recently completed White House State Ballroom and the reconstruction of the historic East Wing. The order restores essential presidential, public, and security functions eliminated by the East Wing’s demolition and affirms that the White House is a national trust held for institutional continuity—not personal legacy. © 2025 Alyce Wittenstein. All Rights Reserved. Project 2029 and all associated text, structure, and policy formulations are original copyrighted works. No portion may [...]

Executive Order – Kennedy Center (Speculative)

SUMMARY January 20, 2029 Today, the President signed an Executive Order restoring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to its lawful name, memorial status, and independent governance. The Order voids unauthorized renaming actions taken on December 18, 2025, reaffirms congressional intent, and restores the Center as a national cultural institution held in trust for the American people—not as a vehicle for personal or political legacy. FULL EXECUTIVE ORDER TEXT [PASTE YOUR FULL EO TEXT HERE — unchanged] PRESS RELEASE WASHINGTON — The President today signed an Executive Order restoring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [...]

Legislation

EXECUTIVE–WORKER PAY ALIGNMENT ACT

SUMMARY Executive–Worker Pay Alignment Act The Executive–Worker Pay Alignment Act aligns increases in executive compensation with wage growth for workers at large employers. When a company increases total compensation for its highly paid executives, worker wages must increase by the same percentage during the same fiscal year. If executive compensation does not increase, the Act does not apply. The Act does not set wages, mandate bonuses, or cap executive pay outright. It targets a specific driver of wage disparity: raising executive pay while leaving workers out. Executive compensation is treated as a connected system, preventing evasion through re-labeling, new executive hires [...]