Seeking Patterns in Chaos: Transactional Federalism in the Trump Administration’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Author: Jonathan M. Fisk,Cynthia J. Bowling,John C. Morris
• Date: 01 August 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0275074020941686
• Published date: 01 August 2020
• Subject Matter: Executive Leadership & FederalismExecutive Leadership in Times of Crises

https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074020941686

American Review of Public Administration

2020, Vol. 50(6-7) 512 –518

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0275074020941686

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Executive Leadership in Times of Crises

The Trump administration’s response to the novel coronavi-

rus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought the issue of federal–

state relationships into the spotlight. Slow to acknowledge

the seriousness of the outbreak of the disease, desperate pleas

for help from the governors of Washington State, California,

and New York, among others, fell largely on deaf ears in the

nation’s capital. Local and state resources were quickly over-

whelmed, and shortages of critical medical supplies were

acute. When the national government did respond, it did so

haphazardly, episodically, and almost grudgingly. More

importantly, it appeared as though the Trump administration

was trying to redefine federalism in the middle of the crisis,

leaving states, local governments, and citizens scrambling to

cope as best they could with an unprecedented public health

crisis.

The nature (and state) of the relationship between the

national government and the states has been at the heart of

American governance since the Declaration of Independence.

Indeed, Kettl (2020) calls federalism the question of

American governance. The course of American history has

witnessed a continuous evolution and redefinition of federal–

state relations. Some of these events have been driven by

changes in world or national events; some have been driven

by presidential preference; still other changes have been

driven by the courts. Indeed, it might be said that change is

the single “constant” in American federalism. The Trump

administration is no exception. From his first day in office,

Trump’s actions have served not only to redefine the presi-

dency, but federalism as well. At certain times, Trump seems

willing to apply the power of the national government as a

weapon, punishing states (or governors) who have drawn the

president’s ire; at other times, the president appears willing

to bestow states (or governors) who please the president with

federal largesse. The net result of this pattern is apparent

chaos—a ragtag collection of off-the-cuff statements, deci-

sions, and actions that have sowed uncertainty and left states,

administrators, and scholars of federalism in a state of confu-

sion. This pattern contributes to a largely disjointed federal

response to the COVID-19 pandemic and shines a spotlight

on the challenges associated with managing effective inter-

governmental relationships in times of crisis.

In this essay, we examine federalism during the Trump

presidency, with specific focus on the events of late 2019 and

early 2020 as the states and the national government have

struggled to respond to the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

As we write, events are still unfolding, and the ultimate out-

come of this event is quite uncertain. Still, we can put recent

events into perspective as a means to understand the patterns

of behavior of the Trump administration and the growing cri-

sis in federalism this pandemic has exposed. We begin with a

brief overview of the development of federalism in the U.S.

941686ARPXXX10.1177/0275074020941686The American Review of Public AdministrationBowling et al.

research-article2020

1Auburn University, AL, USA

Corresponding Author:

John C. Morris, Department of Political Science, Auburn University, 7080

Haley Center, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.

Email: jcm0143@auburn.edu

Seeking Patterns in Chaos: Transactional

Federalism in the Trump Administration’s

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cynthia J. Bowling1, Jonathan M. Fisk1, and John C. Morris1

Abstract

The federal government’s response the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been marked by a series of apparently

disjointed, chaotic, and confusing statements and actions on the part of both the White House and federal agencies charged

with coordinating the federal response. These actions have left many state governors (and citizens) in a position to address

the effects of the pandemic in a haphazard and atomistic manner. In this essay, we contend that the actions of the Trump

administration, and its relationships with states and local governments, can best be understood through a lens of what we

refer to as “transactional federalism,” in which federalism relationships are governed by a set of exchanges between the

president and states, and between states. We conclude by discussing the ramifications of this form of federalism.

Keywords

federalism, pandemic, leadership, intergovernmental relations, partisanship