The Role of Washington - Assignment Example

Power of both states and federal systems are explicitly enshrined in the constitution, particularly powers concerning the sovereignty of state governments. In practical contexts, the intended balance of power seems to be skewed in favor of the federal government. Cases of federal agencies allegedly overstepping their constitutionally prescribed mandates are common. State sovereignty is usually under threat from the federal’s influential role in stirring state policies and initiatives (Cropf, 2008).

In essence, the federal government is legally obliged to provide general funding to all states. However, the federal government bargains for excess power by attaching funding with regulations. Quite often, failure of compliance with federal regulations jeopardizes a state’s possibility of receiving a full share of the general funding from the national government. Eventually, state governments are beholden to Washington, leaving state officials with limited resistance in policy formulation and implementation.

Personally, I believe that the federal government has taken the lead in steering state politics towards national fronts. Despite the dominance of state sovereignty in the formulation and adoption of state policies, it is acknowledgeable that federal supremacy often lurks behind any important initiative passed by each US state. For example in October 2013, California was under threat from the federal government concerning education policies in the state. California state officials exercised their sovereignty by implementing tailor-made testing in schools.

However, the testing proposed by California officials failed to comply with federal rules on education (Elysse, 2013).