Trump and the States
-
The White House ordered a pause on all federal grants, partly intending to target diversity, equity and inclusion and other "woke" programs. A third of states' budgets comes from federal grants.
-
The Trump White House has ordered a pause on infrastructure spending approved during the last administration, and is promoting new spending on digital infrastructure to support artificial intelligence.
-
Trump will take a largely deregulatory approach to tech, while aiming to aggressively pursue foreign cyber threat actors.
-
Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education in his second term. Even if he stops short, the administration will bring policy changes to colleges and universities and new scrutiny to diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
-
Trump promises to seek stiffer sentences, including the death penalty. But there’s still appetite in Congress for policies designed to reduce incarceration.
-
The Trump administration is likely to reverse some climate policies but local officials are determined to continue addressing impacts on their communities.
-
The nation's largest health insurance program is likely to be cut in Congress this year to pay for other priorities. That could have profound ramifications for state budgets and the health-care system.
-
There's turnover in Washington with each new administration. Departing federal workers can bring valuable skills and experience to state and local governments.
-
Democratic governors are scrambling to mount an effective opposition to the policies of the new administration. They may not be holding a winning hand.
-
A new Brookings analysis of counties' 2024 presidential vote shows that lower-output, small town, and rural areas still comprise the foundation of the GOP base. But they've been joined by numerous new Republican-leaning places in the Sun Belt and elsewhere.
-
Grant programs too often send money to areas that already have resources. Federal agencies should work with state and local leaders to identify the place-specific needs of regional economies and develop custom projects.
-
Tom Homan, who will lead Trump’s deportation effort, said that sanctuary policies can shield dangerous criminals. Harboring or concealing undocumented immigrants, he said, is a federal crime.
-
Voters in a former Democratic stronghold in Minnesota complain that both the national party and Minnesota Democrats have swung too far to the left on spending and cultural issues.
-
More than anything it’s the simple result of Americans growing older, a fact of life we haven’t come to grips with politically.
-
It will be the leadership of our states and cities that will have the most direct impact on the issues that animated the presidential campaign.
-
A new Brookings analysis of counties' 2024 presidential vote shows that lower-output, small town, and rural areas still comprise the foundation of the GOP base. But they've been joined by numerous new Republican-leaning places in the Sun Belt and elsewhere.