Chapter 3: Categorical Grants and block grants

block grants

attempted to transform Medicaid, Aid to Families with Dependents, food stamps, and other social welfare programs

block grants

diminish the scope and size of the national government and return the power to the states

unfunded mandates

forces state and local governments to divert funds away from their needed projects and essential services to compy with national policies

block grants

general revenue sharing, a comprehensive block of funding that gave state and local officials a share of the national government's revenues (taxes) to be used for any purpose

block grants

their general objective is to minimize national restrictions through devolution while maximizing the discretionary use of them by state and local officials

unfunded mandates

these specified services or activities that must be provided by state and local government to meet national standards

block grants

used to replace or change the funding of categorical grants

unfunded mandates

works against the transfer of power from the national government to the states

categorical grants

intergovernmental grants with specific instructions to state and local officials on how the money could be spent

unfunded mandates

members of Congress can take credit for helping their constituents while distancing themselves form the taxpayer's wrath when they run for reelection