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The Law : The Promises and Pathologies of Presidential Federalism
Author(s) -
Jacobs Nicholas F.,
Ewing Connor M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/psq.12480
Subject(s) - presidency , federalism , presidential system , political science , politics , state (computer science) , context (archaeology) , law , public administration , geography , archaeology , algorithm , computer science
State and local politics have dominated the first year of Donald Trump's presidency. Despite promises to reinvigorate states' rights both before and after his campaign, Trump has used the administrative powers of the modern presidency to pursue his policy agenda at the subnational level. From waiving certain provisions of federal programs, to filing lawsuits against states and localities, Trump has taken advantage of the opportunities crafted by his predecessors to use subnational politics for the presidency's own ends. We place these nascent developments in historical and theoretical context to suggest that “presidential federalism” at once signifies the continued strength and relevance of subnational governance, while providing occasions for further administrative aggrandizement. Trump, despite remaining highly unconventional in a number of ways, might further reinforce the presidency's centrality to modern American federalism.