Scribd
Upload
12 views2 pages

Billions in Climate Deal Funding Could Help Protect U.S. Coastal Cities

This document discusses a political connections portfolio report analyzing an article about a new law allocating billions in funding from the recent climate deal to help protect coastal cities through conservation projects. The report discusses the differences between categorical grants, which give the federal government more control over how funds are used, and block grants, which give states more flexibility. It also analyzes how this relates to the development of federalism in the U.S. and whether categorical or block grants might be better to allocate this funding.

Uploaded by

tester
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
12 views2 pages

Billions in Climate Deal Funding Could Help Protect U.S. Coastal Cities

This document discusses a political connections portfolio report analyzing an article about a new law allocating billions in funding from the recent climate deal to help protect coastal cities through conservation projects. The report discusses the differences between categorical grants, which give the federal government more control over how funds are used, and block grants, which give states more flexibility. It also analyzes how this relates to the development of federalism in the U.S. and whether categorical or block grants might be better to allocate this funding.

Uploaded by

tester
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Mira Fitch POL1110 Political Connections Portfolio Report #2

Billions in Climate Deal Funding Could Help Protect U.S. Coastal Cities.

September 20, 2022. New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/20/us/politics/climate-law-coastal-projects.html

This article from the New York Times discusses a new law allocating categorical

grants to the states for conservation purposes, reaffirming the federal government’s

commitment to environmentalism and sustainability. The article demonstrates the

development of federalism because of its discussion of the use of categorical grants as

opposed to block grants. According to Abernathy, the principal difference between

block and categorical grants is:

“...flexibility. The strings attached to categorical grants give federal policymakers

considerable authority in shaping how the policies are enacted on the ground.

Block grants, in contrast, give state policymakers a greater say in how these

monies are allocated and, therefore, what the policies actually look like when

they are enacted” (Abernathy, 2022).

The increased usage of block grants was a defining characteristic of the

difference between New Cooperative Federalism and New Federalism. This article

helped me to understand the practical use of categorical versus block grants and to

consider the development of modern federalism. I wonder if it would be better for this

money to be distributed as a block grant so each state is able to focus on the aspects

that are most important to them. For example, Maine may require more money for

wetland restoration, but North Carolina may prefer to pour all available resources into
weatherproofing. Then again, how specific should these grants be? Is “use this money

for ecological conservation” clear enough? I found it interesting, too, that federalism

has almost developed backwards in this area, returning somewhat to New Cooperative

Federalist tendencies. This allocation of money appears to follow a more Democratic

alignment while the use of block grants—thus giving more power to the states—follows

a more Republican political orientation. With Congress currently swinging to the

Democrat side of the political spectrum, should more categorical grants be expected?

Or is a political contraction likely in the near future, and will it be signaled by the

resurgence of block grant funding? I am curious to consider the implications of funding

methods on federalism’s development as the Biden Administration continues its work for

sustainability initiatives.

You might also like