The Role of Washington

The United States Constitution specifically delegates to the states any powers that are not enumerated to Washington. In practice, however, Washington has a vast number of tools it uses to influence state policy, often involving granting – or withholding – funding to the states for a variety of initiatives. Citing the text, provide a two to three paragraph response about your views of Federalism today. Do you believe that Washington has taken the lead in policy creation and implementation? Do you think that states are, in practice, beholden to Washington because of the funding that they depend upon from the central government? Or, on the contrary, do you think that the states maintain a great deal of power and autonomy in our Federalism system? Provide examples, when relevant, to support your analysis. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.