Submission by Tom DeWeese, American Policy Center

I have been warning that global forces are developing new tactics to advance their control agenda, even in the wake of President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt them at the federal level. Trump has shocked the nation by exposing the massive flow of federal funds into the coffers of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These organizations serve as well-trained shock troops, leading the charge to implement the agenda piece by piece.

For several decades, federal agencies have been at the forefront of the attack, targeting private property ownership, community development, and energy use. Through the scare-mongering of the climate change myth, international building and plumbing codes have been used to enforce the global agenda. Water sources, energy resources, and private property have been targeted for control. Programs like “What Works Cities,” “Urban Growth Boundaries,” and “Sustainable Development” have been key weapons in steadily guiding every state and community toward a future of top-down control, with state and local governments powerless to determine their own futures.

Now, as federal agencies like HUD, the EPA, and the Federal Department of Transportation face Trump’s massive layoffs of agents and funding, their ability to pressure local and state governments is greatly diminished. But the global forces anticipated this. They knew Trump’s victory would pose problems at the federal level, so they prepared for it.

This is why the World Economic Forum (WEF) held a major gathering called the “Urban Transformation Summit” in San Francisco last October. The goal was to develop new tactics to push the control agenda forward at the local level. One of the primary strategies is to advocate for more non-elected regional governments.

Regional government is not a new tactic, but it doesn’t have to be tied to federal policy. It can be marketed as purely local, which makes it more appealing to conservative advocates who believe it’s about limited government.

Such a perception of regional government is misleading, and MAGA advocates must fully understand what they’re up against and be prepared to stop it. Here’s some historical context.

In the mid-1960s, author Jo Hindman wrote about urban renewal and metro-planning. In her book Blame Metro, she stated, “Much is written about the incognito warfare on United States soil which public officials and their accomplices are waging to wrest private property from landowners. The strategy is to make property ownership so unbearable through harassment—such as building inspections, remodeling orders, fines, and even jailings—that owners give up in despair and sell to land redevelopers at cut-rate prices. Positive municipal codes are the weapons in this warfare.”

She also wrote, “‘Strengthening county government’ is a hackneyed regional phrase indicating that the regional takeover has begun… Planning assistance subsidized by federal money leads small cities and counties into direct obedience under a regional master plan. Land-use rights are literally stolen from landowners when zoning is applied.” This approach fits perfectly with the forces seeking effective tactics to advance their agenda. Private property protection is seen as a threat to their control.

Hindman further noted, “The present-day (1960s) planners, who draw no line between public and private property, believe that land-use control should be vested in government and that public planners should have sole authority to control land use.”

One of the primary NGO forces pushing regional plans at the local level is the American Planning Association (APA), formed in 1978 by merging the American Institute of Planners and the Society of Planning Officials. However, now, with federal regulations and funding in doubt, working within local communities may make some headway, but the bigger goal is national control. So, what’s the plan?

The strategy is called America 2050: New Strategies for Regional Economic Development.

America 2050 is a joint venture between NGOs like the Regional Plan Association (RPA) and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The goal is to develop a nationwide strategy for balanced and sustainable growth. The plan centers around 11 megaregions, which are home to three-quarters of the nation’s population and are considered the new competitive units in the global economy. These megaregions include major metropolitan areas like New York City, Chicago, Boston, Richmond, and Los Angeles, as well as broader areas like the Great Lakes Megaregion, which extends into parts of Canada, and the Southern Rocky Mountain Megaregion, which covers large western areas between Colorado and Wyoming.

According to the RPA, their goal is to improve prosperity, sustainability, and quality of life through work in transportation, economic development, real estate, environmental issues, and open space. They also focus on goals like climate change protection, the 15-minute cities with stack-and-pack living conditions, eliminating the need for cars, and controlling energy use. RPA documents outline objectives such as environmental systems, infrastructure systems, economic linkages, and land-use patterns.

The future envisioned by the RPA’s controlled megaregions promises “freedom of choice” for citizens—but that’s not the case. The RPA’s own reports reveal that their inspiration for this development comes from the European Union’s territorial cohesion program. We all know how Europe stands today on the issues of individual freedom and limited government. Don’t expect to find much private property in Europe.

But that’s not all. According to their reports, RPA is also focused on “holding themselves accountable for progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion.” They are determined to prioritize diversity and ensure that events and panels reflect the diversity of the region and nation. RPA states, “For more than 100 years, we have developed and promoted the economic health, environmental resilience, and quality of life in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area. Over the course of those years, white men have predominantly filled leadership roles. Urban and regional planning has contributed to institutional or systemic racism within our cities, suburbs, and other communities across the nation. With this understanding, it is imperative that RPA fosters a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work.”

Americans who are fighting to restore our freedoms and who support President Trump’s efforts to limit federal intrusion—please hear this warning: The forces of control never give up. We often hear the media and Republican leadership claim that these forces are finished, that they have no plan or leadership.

This is absolutely untrue. They never quit. They have a new plan and tactics to enforce the same oppressive future. To stop it, we must organize locally to pressure our council members and state legislators to say NO to these global forces. We must change the debate to focus on free enterprise, private property protection, and local decisions made by citizens. These are the true roots of freedom!