Federalism means more than talking tough to Washington
There’s no shortage of governors and state politicians who like to talk tough about standing up to Washington. But how many states are actually prepared to protect their independence from the federal government?
I recently interviewed Steve Johnson, a former Michigan legislator and fellow at State Policy Network’s Center for Practical Federalism, about the updated Federalism Scorecard. The scorecard examines the laws and practices states have in place to protect themselves from federal control and coercion.
One of the more interesting takeaways from my conversation with Johnson is that a stronger or weaker federalism rating doesn’t divide neatly along partisan lines.
Utah leads the scorecard, with Vermont coming in second. Wisconsin and Oregon also rank in the top 10. Meanwhile, Alaska, Mississippi, and Massachusetts are at the bottom.
I appreciate that Johnson pointed out that some of the states making the most noise about resisting Washington aren’t necessarily doing the hard work of protecting their own governing authority. He gave the example of Texas under President Biden and California and New York under President Trump. Those states have been very vocal about federal overreach when their guy or political tribe is not in the White House, yet both rank in the bottom half of the scorecard. Johnson likened that dynamic to the political “show horse” vs. the “work horse.”
The full interview is below:
— The Federalism Beat