Walker’s letter and Assembly committee are good first steps

December 21, 2016 – Milwaukee, WI –

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty lauds Governor Walker’s letter to President-elect Donald Trump, urging him to review federal policies that diminish the role states play in our republic and restore the proper balance between the states and Washington, DC as envisioned by our Founding Framers.

In July, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty launched its newest project, the Center for Competitive Federalism, at a press conference at the State Capitol that included remarks from Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, State Representative Dale Kooyenga (RBrookfield), and State Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg). The CCF project is led by WILL Senior Fellow and CCF Director, Mario Loyola, and Associate Counsel Jake Curtis.

In addition to Governor Walker’s letter, WILL is encouraged by Assembly Republicans’ creation of a new committee charged with examining state-federal policymaking, the Assembly Committee on Federalism and Interstate Relations, which will be chaired by State Representative Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth).

In response to Walker’s letter, Loyola and Curtis highlighted in National Review Onlinethe importance of a return to founding principles: "The separation of state and federal authority is one of the most essential principles of our Constitution. It explains the Constitution’s structural allocation of powers as much as the division between legislative, executive, and judicial functions. If we lose the separate and independent existence of state governments, we will lose our Constitution."

WILL President and General Counsel, Rick Esenberg, noted, "Since officially kicking off the CCF project in July in Madison, we have been thrilled with the interest shown by policy makers, thought leaders, and every day citizens in the need to return to a proper balance between the federal government and the states. The Assembly’s creation of its Federalism Committee and the Governor’s letter to President-elect Trump further illustrate how relevant these core principles remain. We look forward to working with anybody, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, who wishes to protect the prerogatives of states in our constitutional framework."