new federalism

noun

, (sometimes initial capital letters)

1. a plan, announced in 1969, to turn over the control of some federal programs to state and local governments and institute block grants, revenue sharing, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of new federalism¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Apparently, Richard Nixon had a strong hand in that New Federalism and the creation of block grants to the states to let them do as they might on social issues with minimal federal oversight, which was sold to the public as an engine of innovation.

From Salon

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon’s “New Federalism” initiated practically unrestricted revenue sharing under his State and Local Assistance Act.

From Washington Post

Leah Stokes, a political science professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said that it was predictable that ALEC's new federalism working group would be laser-focused on climate policy.

From Salon

Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, based in Richmond, Virginia, Luttig was at the forefront of the new federalism movement, according to a 2006 story in The New York Times.

From Seattle Times

But since the 1970s a generation of conservative politicians, judges and activists championed what they called "New Federalism," which would limit national policy and return power to the states -- and in many ways they succeeded.

From Salon