WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#GovWaste–Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released a new issue brief, “Federalism and Federal Grants,” co-authored by CAGW President Tom Schatz and State Government Affairs Associate Ryan Lanier, which details how the federal grantmaking process has changed the balance of power between Washington and the states. The record amount of money provided by Congress to the states through coronavirus relief bills and the bipartisan infrastructure bill has brought even more attention to this process. This issue brief offers a series of reforms that will reduce wasteful spending and increase the effectiveness of how grant money is spent in the states.
Tom Schatz and Ryan Lanier issued the following statement:
“Federal grant programs to the states have grown dramatically since the enactment of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society programs. Greater spending has been accompanied by more control and one-size-fits-all regulations. The result is decreased state power and sovereignty and more opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse. The increase in federal grants has made states more subservient to federal government rules and regulations and when federal funds run out, states find themselves bearing the full cost of the programs, which always prove difficult to cut back or eliminate once they are in place. Reforms are necessary to revise the federal-state balance of power. This issue brief is a must-read as it gives an in-depth look at the history of grants and proposes reforms to the grantmaking process.”
CAGW is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
Contacts
Alexandra Abrams (202) 467-5310
aabrams@cagw.org
