the USA is not federal

• State sovereignty

  Citizen’s rights - the drinking age is set federally at 21, 2015 - Obergfell v Hodges legalised same-sex marriage in every state

  Criminal punishment - SC has put numerous restrictions in upholding the death penalty e.g. 2005 Roper v. Simmons.

  Electoral regulation - voting age

  Tax - federal income tax
• Spending

  Bush made a great impact on the importance of the federal government, presiding over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal government spending since the 1960s.

  • Total federal spending grew by 33% in Bush’s first term
  • 2001-2006, spending on homeland security increased from £13 million to $69 million
• Great federal law

  • Bush’s 2002 “No Child Left Behind Act” ushered in the most sweeping changes to federal education policy since the 1960s. Mandated that the states test children annually in grades 4-8 using in part a national test
  • Bush administration sponsored a $700 million ‘bail out’ package for Wall Street, passed mostly by Democrat votes
  • 2003 Bush signed a Medicare expansion bill which included a new prescription drug benefit which provided more than 40 million Americans with better healthcare
• SCOTUS

  Decisions especially made between 1937 and the 1970s, enhanced the power of the federal government through their interpretation of implied powers

  Court applied a more expansive interpretation of the powers of Congress in Article I

  Challenge state courts as final court of appeal
• Constitution


  Federalism not outlined clearly in the Constitution, vague
• Role of executive

  Varies from POTUS to POTUS

  Trump later rescinded Cole memo
• Need for a federal gov

  Growing need has decreased federalism
• Role of executive

  National Guard serves a dual role as serving the community (states) and its country, can be activated by President to act against the wishes of the state
• Role of executive

  President able to deploy military against governor’s wishes

  • Trump threatened to do so in June 2020 at a press conference if a city/state “refuses to take the actions” to quell mass protests against police fuelled by the death of George Floyd.
• COVID

  Federal legislation in response to COVID was nationwide so all states had to implement orders even if they disagreed

  Travel bans on countries like China and Brazil