A proposal to set a per-enrollee limit on federal money for the program is gaining traction. But states know how to game Medicaid rules and federal oversight is woefully inadequate.
It’s a battle of state vs. state and calls for the federal government to restrict Democratic state policies.
Solutions include funding the federal agency properly, requiring states to share a larger burden of the responsibility and removing barriers to resilience.
State and local public health departments rely on federal funding to operate. With those dollars at risk amid the Trump administration’s federal funding freezes, they’re bracing for the future.
A combined federal and state effort to redesign the boondoggle-prone economic development program could also provide the blueprint for rebuilding devastated communities.
President Trump, who calls FEMA “not good,” has issued an executive order and established a commission to look at ending the agency. He favors having states respond to their own disasters, but they may not have adequate resources.
Cities across the country are committed to making it easier to build housing and are taking a variety of promising approaches, note the leaders of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But they must be bolstered by federal investment and flexibility.
The administration rescinded its order for a spending review due to blowback. Republicans had not joined the chorus of critics, even though red states are heavily dependent on federal grants.
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 administration has an opportunity to return authority over energy generation and natural resource development to the states.
As 2024 came to a close, the White House and Congress approved big giveaways to two subsets of state and local government employees and pensioners. There could be political backlash, and for equity’s sake there might be a case for some corrective tax policies.
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.
Voters in several states, including deeply red ones, chose to make significant boosts. While the federal minimum remains stuck at $7.25, 10 states now have a wage of $15 or higher and more are headed in that direction.
Governors, mayors and finance officers are treading water, awaiting the outcome and impact of a new Washington regime’s vows to slash federal spending and taxes. Meanwhile, state and municipal budgeters and debt managers will need to make intelligent guesses and pay more attention to their rainy-day funds.
They’ve generated over $100 billion in investments in thousands of struggling communities. We have the opportunity to extend and expand the program — and to make it permanent.
More than anything it’s the simple result of Americans growing older, a fact of life we haven’t come to grips with politically.
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