by William L. Kovacs, ©2026
(Feb. 16, 2026) — The citizen protests in Minneapolis and the conflict between the state and local governments and the federal government highlight the need for cooperative federalism. In today’s polarized political climate, it may not be achievable, but it is necessary to keep the Union together.
Recent headlines tell the story: calls to “nationalize elections,” assertions that states are merely “agents” of the federal government and continued federal encroachment into matters once handled locally. These developments reflect more than momentary political disputes. They signal a steady shift away from the Constitution’s original framework of federalism toward a centralized system where states increasingly function as administrative units of Washington.
For more than two centuries, federal authority has expanded while state sovereignty has contracted. The result is a federal government growing too large, remote, and powerful to effectively govern the daily lives of citizens without local intermediaries. Federalism was designed precisely to prevent this concentration of power — ensuring that government remained close enough to the people to understand their needs while allowing the national government to focus on defense, economic stability, and interstate concerns.
Recent unrest in cities such as Minneapolis illustrates the risks of excessive centralization. Local conflicts often require local knowledge, trust, and responsiveness — qualities difficult for distant federal authorities to replicate. Federalism provides a buffer, allowing states to mediate tensions before they escalate into national crises.
The Gradual Erosion of State Authority
The expansion of federal supremacy has multiple roots:
Supreme Court Doctrine.
Early nineteenth-century decisions established federal supremacy and recognized implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause. Over time, these interpretations significantly broadened federal authority.
The Seventeenth Amendment.
Direct election of Senators shifted representation away from state legislatures toward national political constituencies, weakening states’ institutional leverage within Congress.
Narrowing the Tenth Amendment.
Although the Tenth Amendment reserves undelegated powers to the states or the people, Supreme Court decisions such as United States v. Darby Lumber Co. (1941) characterized it as largely declaratory. Later cases, including New York v. United States (1992), carved out limited protections against federal “commandeering,” but these remain narrow exceptions.
Federal Grants and Fiscal Dependence.
Federal grants now exceed $1 trillion annually, supporting hundreds of programs and constituting roughly one-third of many state budgets. These funds often carry conditions that shape state policy, creating dependence that blurs the line between cooperation and coercion.
Policy Preemption and Conditional Funding.
Disputes over immigration enforcement, infrastructure funding, housing regulation, and election administration illustrate ongoing tensions between national priorities and state autonomy.
Why Federalism Still Matters
States historically serve as laboratories of democracy, testing policies before national adoption. More importantly, they act as a constitutional buffer between citizens and centralized authority. Without that buffer, Washington becomes the direct governor of a vast and diverse population — a role it was never designed to perform.
A continued erosion of federalism risks deepening polarization. Citizens who feel unheard locally may turn to national confrontation rather than state-level compromise. That dynamic can escalate social conflict and undermine trust in government institutions.
Federalism does not weaken the nation; it stabilizes it. A balanced partnership between federal and state governments allows national strength while preserving local responsiveness. Reaffirming that balance may be essential not only for effective governance but for preserving civic peace in an increasingly divided country.
William L. Kovacs served as senior vice president for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chief counsel to a congressional committee. His book, Reform the Kakistocracy, received the 2021 Independent Press Award for Political/Social Change. His second book, Devolution of Power: Rolling Back the Federal State to Preserve the Republic received five stars from Readers’ Favorite. He can be contacted at wlk@ReformTheKakistocracy.com