Federalism

• Theory of government where political power is divided between federal and state governments
  • Where each has its own substantive jurisdiction
• Federalist: wants more power to the national/federal government
• Tenth Amendment

Turning points

• Crises tend to increase federal power
  • e.g. WW2, 9/11, 2008, COVID
• New Deal

New Federalism

• Clinton (D), 1996: “The era of big government is over.”
• Pushed by Republian presidents after
  • Rational: Secure vote share, popular in Southern states (esp. for Clinton)
  • Structural: Republicans believed in small Fed gov
  • Cultural: Clinton, post-Cold War, “End of History”
• Individualism
• Neoliberal Economics

COVID

• State power
  • 32/50 states had lockdowns by end of March, based on federal guidelines
  • As of 24 Jun 2010, 16 states + DC had mask mandates
• Federal power
  • Abuse of federal funding: Trump (through FEMA) seized an order of 500 ventilators placed by Colorado (Democratic governor)