Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard against anti-deportation protesters is sadly familiar after other attacks on the First Amendment.
The way to make the federal government more efficient on a permanent basis is not one-time cuts but devolving authority over many programs to state governments.
Public health experts emphasize the importance of clear and consistent messaging. They may not get that with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as federal health secretary.
Wildfires will continue to rage out of control unless federal forest managers learn from Western states how to properly steward public lands and contain their fires.
Democratic governors are scrambling to mount an effective opposition to the policies of the new administration. They may not be holding a winning hand.
Republicans in Congress might force all states to impose such rules. Supporters say they give Medicaid recipients a boost toward self-sufficiency and financial stability. Critics say such rules hurt far more people than they help.
The view of the federal department as a source of malign leftist influence is backwards. Good ideas are out there, and there needs to be a central authority to disseminate best practices and insist on results.
His second presidency could recolor the landscape for federal spending, with ramifications for states, local governments, schools and public pensions. Governors and mayors will need to try to discern where the political wind is blowing — and what to watch out for.
Texas challenged federal supremacy by creating a state crime for illegal entry into the U.S. The courts will decide whether it's constitutional — and whether other states can follow Texas’ lead.
Millions are falling behind on their retirement goals. There are proven policy solutions at the state level, and federal policymakers could build on those to help all workers save what they will need and reduce the burden on taxpayers.
Law enforcement officials aren’t supposed to appear in campaign ads showing a badge or wearing a uniform. But lots of them are doing it.
It’s good politics for presidential candidates to talk about solving problems that presidents can’t do much about.
The public likes what lawmakers around the country are doing, but the industry’s lobbyists are working hard to embed provisions into trade deals that would undermine much of the progress states have made.
When the 2017 tax law expires next year, Congress will revisit the limits on SALT deductions on federal returns. With elections approaching, it’s time for governors and mayors to offer some viable new policy options — and ways to pay for them.
Presidents who used to run states sometimes stiff them when it comes to making policy.
Pandemic money from Washington stimulated the economy but arguably ended up feeding inflation. Before the next downturn, governors, mayors and public financers need to be part of the conversation about how to open the countercyclical aid spigot quicker — and when to shut it off.
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