Downsizing Blog
No More State Aid
In response to the crisis, federal policymakers have passed a series of aid packages providing hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments.
Public Transit Is Second‐Class Transportation
Urban transit is one of the most heavily subsidized industries in this country.
What We Know, and Don’t Know, About Portland and the DHS
In recent days the Department of Homeland Security has dispatched federal law enforcement officers to Portland, scene of more than 50 consecutive nights of protests, which have regularly included damage to the federal courthouse and other major buildings.
The Jones Act Swamp
Last spring White House staffers presented President Trump with the opportunity to introduce a very interesting wrinkle to the Jones Act, the 1920 law that restricts domestic waterborne transportation to vessels that are U.S.-flagged, U.S.-built and mostly U.S.-owned and crewed.
Kill Two Birds with One Stone: Repeal Collective Bargaining
Congress is debating legislation meant to address police misconduct along with a further aid package for state and local governments struggling with budget deficits.
Federal Aid for State‐Local Police
Presidential candidate Joe Biden said that he does not favor defunding police but instead “conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness.”
Police Spending Soars at the Federal Level
Some protestors are calling for defunding the police in the wake of George Floyd’s death and other incidents of police misconduct.
Spending on Police by State
Amid the outcry over George Floyd’s death and subsequent protests, some people are calling for defunding the police.
State Government Cuts and the Economy
A Wall Street Journal news article by David Harrison claims, “State and local government spending and employment levels didn’t fully recover from the 2007-09 recession until last fall, a decade after the downturn ended and only a few months before the coronavirus led to a new round of cuts.”
California’s Budget and Rainy Day Fund
Congress is considering passing additional financial aid for state and local governments.