Trump muddles federal government rollback with blue-state threats

Published July 21, 2025 8:00am ET



President Donald Trump‘s quest to shrink the size of government is colliding with the strong-arm tactics of his second term as the White House seeks to make states comply with his policy agenda.

Since his election in November, Trump has been laying the groundwork for scaling back the federal government, including job-slashing plans to shutter the Education Department and place states in charge of disaster relief.

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