As we choose our next president, Americans will doubtless turn their attention to the crucial issues of economic opportunity, national security, family, and faith.
Underlying all of these issues, however, is another that shouldn’t be overlooked: our frustration with how the federal government has invaded nearly every aspect of American life, while consistently failing to accomplish the few basic tasks the Constitution actually requires of it.
The Obama presidency has made this reality clearer than ever, with the federal government’s choosing to put regulators on the ground in our heartland to fight farmers and power plants instead of boots on the ground to fight ISIS, choosing to seize control of our health care instead of securing control of our borders, and choosing to bind economic growth and innovation at home while recklessly loosening economic sanctions with state sponsors of terrorism in Iran.
At the heart of this problem is a breakdown of our constitutional system of governance, which, when faithfully adhered to, gives only a few powers to the federal government and vests the rest of the rights and responsibilities of society in the people and the states. This balance gives to the latter the power to make meaningful choices over their own affairs while keeping the federal government focused on its proper role. But when the constitutional system breaks down, Washington becomes involved in foolhardy endeavors like nationalized health care and business-crushing overregulation, to the neglect of its most basic responsibilities, such as securing our border and maintaining a robust national defense.
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It’s critical in the upcoming election to find a candidate who understands that the last thing we need in Washington is more federal hubris. What we need is a candidate committed to a structural reset of Washington that puts the federal government in its place and restores the proper balance of power between it and the states.
That candidate, in my view, is Governor Jeb Bush.
We need a president willing to embrace the idea that Washington is not the answer to all, or even most, of our problems.
Jeb’s tenure as governor of Florida gives him a unique appreciation of the power of keeping government local and close to the people. Nothing is more indicative of this than a letter he sent to President George W. Bush just two years into his first term as governor. It’s a heartfelt and personal plea from brother to brother, asking President Bush to not let the fog of Washington obscure his view of the proper role of the states.
Detailed and prescient, the letter outlines a comprehensive plan for returning power to the states, with a firm reminder that “state governments are the seedbeds of innovation and experiment, not the docile wards of a bureaucracy far from home.” States, Jeb argues to his brother, could “ease the burden of our national government and allow our national leaders to focus on their own constitutional priorities,” if given the ability to do so.
Along with my interactions with Jeb over the last few months, that letter proved something to me: Jeb gets the federalism issue, and he always has.
#share#That is why I am honored that Jeb asked me be his National Chairman of Federal–State Relations. In my opinion, Governor Bush is the only candidate in the bid for the Republican nomination for president that is, once again, exercising leadership to bring meaningful attention to matters of federalism. I will work with Governor Bush to lead the Restoring Federalism Task Force, which will develop policies that restore federalist principles and build coalitions of support for them.
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The federal government must retreat from its hyperactive involvement in areas traditionally under states’ authority and refuse future temptations to regulate and legislate on every issue that happens to come to mind. Bush recognizes the need for introducing more flexibility in how states manage programs funded by the federal government, such as Medicaid, K–12 education, child welfare, and senior programs. In return, states become more accountable for results achieved and federal programs become more responsive to the needs of states, especially on matters where the states depend on efficient and timely federal decision-making, such as immigration and environmental protection.
#related#It is no secret that Washington, D.C., is a tempest of people and institutions relentlessly seeking power over the lives of everyday Americans. In the last eight years, we’ve seen the president seize power from Congress through executive orders, his agencies seize power from the states through regulation, and Congress seize power from both the states and the people through unconstitutional statutes.
To stop all this, we need a president who will exercise federal restraint, leaving people free to pursue policies that reflect their aspirations and the conditions in which they find themselves. We need a president willing to embrace the idea that Washington is not the answer to all, or even most, of our problems, regardless of who is in charge.
It is hubris that has gotten us into trouble in Washington. It is humility, principled leadership, and unwavering faith in the power of the states, the people, and our Constitution that will get us out.