{"id":2083502,"date":"2023-10-30T03:31:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T07:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-red-states-dont-want-federal-meddling-they-should-reject-federal-funding\/"},"modified":"2023-10-30T03:40:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T07:40:54","slug":"if-red-states-dont-want-federal-meddling-they-should-reject-federal-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-red-states-dont-want-federal-meddling-they-should-reject-federal-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"Red States: Reject Federal Funding to Avoid Meddling."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fif-red-states-dont-want-federal-meddling-they-should-reject-federal-funding%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2083502&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taking a Stand: States Reject Federal Funding<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A former boss of mine\u2063 used to \u200dhave a matter-of-fact saying about one\u2019s employment: \u201cIf you don\u2019t \u200blike\u200d the working conditions, don\u2019t \u200btake the check.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some \u200dstates \u200dhave rediscovered the wisdom of that axiom\u200d regarding their relationships\u200c with Washington. Their willingness to refuse\u2062 Washington\u2019s \u200bchecks has prompted the latest\u200d round of media \u200dpearl-clutching.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-293591377\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-32d018f696c255c972ce2917adff9ef1 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-32d018f696c255c972ce2917adff9ef1\"><\/div>\n<p>But\u2064 states\u200b are only acting\u2063 in ways they should have been long \u200cago. Conservatives have finally \u200dcome to realize\u200d that\u2062 the \u200cfederal government\u2019s \u200cdollars come with powerful strings attached. Questioning the use of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-signs-memorandum-backpedaling-on-president-trumps-abortion-policies\/\" title=\"Joe Biden signs memorandum backpedaling on President Trump\u2019s abortion policies\">federal dollars<\/a> will serve \u200bto\u2062 reduce the influence of Washington \u2014 and the \u200dpermanent administrative state residing in the nation\u2019s capital \u2014 in \u2062the affairs of these \u200dstates \u2062and the lives of their\u2062 citizens.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tennessee Says \u2018Thanks, \u2063but No Thanks\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>A recent AP <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tennessee-federal-education-abortion-lgbtq-gop-ef461204ac0add9e52b483e8a5e80f1b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> analyzed the\u200b Volunteer State\u2019s willingness to\u2063 reject federal funding for HIV \u2062prevention and family planning. Tennessee\u2064 rejected the funds\u200b because they \u200bwould likely go to\u2062 organizations\u200c like Planned Parenthood that provide or \u2064refer for abortion.\u2063 State lawmakers have also \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-red-states-dont-want-federal-meddling-they-should-reject-federal-funding\/\" title=\"Red States: Reject Federal Funding to Avoid Meddling.\">discussed \u2063foregoing federal education dollars due<\/a> to Washington\u2019s policies on\u200b parental rights and related issues.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican speaker \u2062of the state house, Cameron\u2062 Sexton, explained\u2063 the thinking. \u201cWe should do everything that\u200c we can to be whole and autonomous and independent from\u2064 the \u2062federal \u2064government,\u201d \u2062he said. \u201cWhen you take federal government\u2064 money, their philosophies and \u2064what they want you to do is different than probably what the state wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2064 amounts to Washington\u2019s \u2062version of the Golden Rule: \u201cHe who has the gold makes the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f33bde9382b1b484769ad3f35add529a fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f33bde9382b1b484769ad3f35add529a\"><\/div>\n<p>If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-roberts-is-too-busy-imagining-right-wing-attacks-on-scotus-to-condemn-leftists-war-on-it\/\" title=\"John Roberts Is Too Busy Imagining Right-Wing Attacks On SCOTUS To Condemn Leftists\u2019 War On It\">red-state lawmakers<\/a> like Sexton don\u2019t enjoy being bossed \u200daround by federal bureaucrats that \u2063don\u2019t share the same\u2062 priorities, philosophy, or agenda \u2014\u200d and \u200dthey shouldn\u2019t \u2014 then they shouldn\u2019t even consider taking federal money \u200dthat\u2063 will \u2064come with strings attached.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leftist Shock and\u2063 Horror<\/h2>\n<p>Declining federal funds represents an unthinkable \u2014 \u200cand unforgivable \u2014\u2064 sin in the minds of many \u2062leftists. The AP story quotes\u200c state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis. \u201cI think \u2063this trend in declining federal \u200cfunds really is alarming,\u201d\u2063 she said. \u201cA\u2062 big portion of our\u2063 government\u2063 and our budget \u2026 rely on federal funds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Turning down\u200d federal\u2064 funds would only appear \u201calarming\u201d\u200b to someone who wants a \u200blarge \u2062role for government or a state government that follows all \u2062of Washington\u2019s commands. That\u2019s exactly \u200cwhat Akbari\u2064 wants: \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t\u200d accept federal dollars because we don\u2019t agree with \u2063certain policies? That\u2019s taking\u200b things\u2062 a little too \u200dfar. It\u2019s not fiscally responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Washington \u2018Fiscally Responsible\u2019?<\/h2>\n<p>For all the lectures from\u200c Democrats\u2062 about fiscal responsibility, it seems ironic that this Democratic lawmaker wants to link Tennessee\u2019s state\u2063 budget to a federal government that holds <a href=\"https:\/\/fiscaldata.treasury.gov\/datasets\/debt-to-the-penny\/debt-to-the-penny\">$33 trillion in \u2064debt<\/a> and just ran what effectively amounts to\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/us-budget-deficit-jumps-23-nearly-17-trillion-social-security-health-costs-rise-2023-10-20\/\">a $2 trillion\u200c budget\u200c deficit<\/a> \u2063 over \u2064the past year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-62a6a92b2673838b3da2b02bfc0f79bc fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-62a6a92b2673838b3da2b02bfc0f79bc\"><\/div>\n<p>To a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-rachel-maddow-libertarian-on-one-issue\/\" title=\"GRAHAM: Rachel Maddow, Libertarian On One Issue\">small-government conservative<\/a>, reducing a state\u2019s reliance on federal funds represents a feature, not a bug. It will\u200b definitely make the state more \u2064fiscally independent and less \u2063linked to the \u2063whims of the federal\u2064 budget. It may even make\u2064 state\u200c government smaller and more efficient overall \u2062\u2014 a true win-win proposition.<\/p>\n<p>But unsurprisingly, the\u200b AP story adopts\u200d a skeptical tone, \u200bquoting \u200dprofessor Thomas Kahn: \u201cYou\u2019re seeing a \u200dmuch\u200c more conservative trend in \u2064this country \u200dwhere\u2062 there\u2019s more hostility toward the federal\u200d funding on anything it [i.e., Washington] proposes. It\u2019s\u2062 a trend that\u2019s getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The last word of \u200bthe quote gives the bias \u200baway. The trend \u2063can \u2064only be \u200c\u201cgetting worse\u201d if\u200b one believes that states should seek \u200bevery federal dollar they\u200d can get. It provides no small amount of personal\u200b embarrassment that \u2064such a view, which effectively makes states subservient to Washington\u2019s whims, \u2064came from a professor at my <em>alma mater<\/em>, The American University.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Victory for Federalism<\/h2>\n<p>If the battles in recent \u200dyears over the woke agenda and\u2062 abortion have had one\u200d salutary effect, it may lie in\u200c the \u2063way state\u2062 lawmakers have begun to understand the threat that Washington\u2019s administrative state poses to their own values \u200band \u200cbeliefs. With the bureaucracy permanently entrenched \u2063regardless of the president\u2019s\u2064 political affiliations, conservative\u200b states\u2064 have come\u2063 to realize how they need to\u2062 take their futures back into\u200b their own hands.<\/p>\n<p>States never should have let things get to the point \u200cwhere their dependence\u2063 on \u200cthe federal government for funding\u2062 jeopardizes the\u2063 state\u2019s\u200c political\u2064 belief structure. \u2062But by demonstrating what\u2019s\u2062 at stake, the past few years will hopefully \u2062accelerate \u200dstates\u2019 welcome weaning away from Washington\u2019s welfare.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-23331a376a8e5d64eb216826e6666909 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-23331a376a8e5d64eb216826e6666909\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200b How can rejecting \u2064federal\u200b funds for HIV prevention and family planning help Tennessee \u2062assert its autonomy and reduce \u2062the influence of Washington?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Unding is not only a matter of principle, but also a\u2063 step towards fiscal \u2062responsibility.\u200c By rejecting \u200bfederal funds, states can assert their autonomy and reduce the influence of Washington in their affairs.<\/p>\n<p>One example\u2063 is the state of Tennessee, which \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lincoln-project-claims-liz-cheney-could-beat-up-matt-gaetz-with-one-hand-tied-behind-her-back\/\" title=\"Lincoln Project Claims Liz Cheney Could Beat Up Matt Gaetz \u2018With One Hand Tied Behind Her Back\u2019\">recently made headlines<\/a> for refusing federal funding for HIV prevention and family planning. The \u200cfunds were likely to\u2063 go to organizations like\u2064 Planned Parenthood that provide or refer \u2063for abortion,\u200b a practice \u200dthat goes against \u2063the state&#8217;s beliefs. Additionally, Tennessee lawmakers have considered\u200d foregoing \u2062federal education dollars due \u200dto disagreements with Washington&#8217;s policies \u2064on parental rights\u200b and \u2063related \u200cissues.<\/p>\n<p>Cameron Sexton, the Republican\u200c speaker of the state\u200d house \u2062in Tennessee, explained \u200dthe rationale behind \u200btheir decision. He emphasized the importance \u2064of \u2064being independent \u2064from the federal government and stated that their philosophies and\u2062 priorities often differ. When \u200dstates accept federal money, \u2062they are \u2064essentially subjecting \u2064themselves to the\u200c federal government&#8217;s rules and agenda.<\/p>\n<p>This sentiment is met with \u200bshock and horror\u200d by many leftists who view declining federal funds as a grave\u200b sin. State Senator Raumesh Akbari, a Democrat from \u2063Memphis, \u200bexpressed\u200c alarm at this trend and highlighted the \u200creliance of the state&#8217;s\u200c government \u200dand budget on federal funds. However, her concern stems from a desire for a larger role \u2062for government and \u200ca \u2064state government that \u2064adheres to Washington&#8217;s commands.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, Akbari&#8217;s argument about\u2062 fiscal responsibility\u2063 falls \u200bflat\u200b when considering the massive debt of the federal government.\u2064 With a debt of $33 trillion and a $2 trillion \u2064budget deficit over the\u200c past year, linking Tennessee&#8217;s \u200dstate budget\u2064 to\u2064 the federal government&#8217;s finances seems far from fiscally responsible.<\/p>\n<p>For\u2064 conservatives who advocate\u200d for small\u200b government and fiscal responsibility, reducing reliance on federal funding is a logical step. It allows states to \u2062assert their independence, prioritize their own\u2062 policies, and \u2063mitigate the influence of\u200d Washington. By refusing federal\u2064 funds, states \u200csend a\u2062 clear message \u2063that they are willing to take a stand and take control of their \u2062own destinies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>are realizing that they have the power to reject Washington&#8217;s financial support if it comes with unfavorable conditions. This has caused a stir in the media, but it reflects the wisdom of my former boss&#8217;s advice: if you don&#8217;t like the terms, don&#8217;t accept the money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2083503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2083502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2083502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2083503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2083502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2083502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2083502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}