Governors Jack Markell of Delaware and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the National Governors Association (NGA), wrote an op-ed last week in Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Roll Call discussing how uncertainty around federal budget cuts complicates states’ ability to plan and slows economic growth. The piece echoes many of the concerns the governors expressed in NGA’s State of the States address last month. The governors urged Congress and the Administration to grant states more flexibility and partner with states to develop policy solutions, calling for “flexible federalism,” defined as “a strong cooperative relationship between states and the federal government that solves problems at both levels.” In the op-ed, they reiterated four principles reflecting a “flexible federalism” approach to deficit reduction: (1) federal policy reforms should produce real savings at both the federal and state levels; (2) federal deficit reduction efforts should not simply shift costs to states or impose unfunded mandates; (3) states should be granted more flexibilities to enhance efficiency and achieve results; and (4) lawmakers should not make funding to states conditional on maintenance of effort provisions.

Link: Op-Ed