3 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Michael Bales's avatar

My question isn't about the well-established authority. It's about how the federal government enforces violations of the Supremacy Clause. So the feds sue a state like Idaho, and it wins a favorable judgment (though I wonder what this extreme right-wing Supreme Court would do). But Idaho persists in its defiance.

What's the enforcement mechanism then? Is there a precedent — beyond the Civil War?

Expand full comment
Suzanne Crockett's avatar

Withhold federal funds? Just very quick search, old data from 2013, bet they can’t do w/out a third of their budget. “In 2013 Idaho got $2.6 billion dollars from the federal government, which is 34.4% of its total revenue.” https://www.nationalpriorities.org/smart/idaho/constructor/

Expand full comment
Michael Bales's avatar

That would get their attention! As you probably know, many red states pay way less in federal taxes than they receive.

Expand full comment