Washington's new delivery route runs through the states
The EPA, the Justice Department and a federal tax credit program all put states and cities in charge of carrying out federal priorities this week.
- The EPA announced a new agencywide cooperative agreement with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, under which EPA scientists and engineers will provide technical assistance to state and territorial agencies. m:…6583
- The Justice Department selected East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as one of four jurisdictions to receive federal funding through the Model Cities Initiative. m:…8892
- New Mexico will opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit starting in 2027, with credits of up to $1,700 a year for individual filers and up to $3,400 a year for joint filers, for students with household income at or below 300% of the area's median gross income. m:…3183
- The EPA and ASTHO will collaborate on water safety, wildfire smoke, data centers, PFAS, lead and indoor air quality, and the work supports the Federal Lead Action Plan. m:…6583
Three announcements, one route
The Environmental Protection Agency, the Justice Department and the state of New Mexico each made a move this week that followed the same route: Washington set the priority, and a state or a city will do the work. The EPA announced a new agencywide cooperative agreement with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, known as ASTHO, to support state and territorial environmental health work. The Justice Department named East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana as one of four jurisdictions selected for its Model Cities Initiative, a federal program that sends funding to local jurisdictions to fight violent crime. And Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that New Mexico will opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, a federal program that gives taxpayers credits for donations to scholarship-granting organizations. m:…6583 m:…8892 m:…3183
The EPA agreement is the broadest of the three. Under it, EPA scientists and engineers will provide technical assistance to state and territorial agencies, and the two sides will work together on water safety, wildfire smoke, data centers, PFAS, lead and indoor air quality. The agreement also supports a memorandum of agreement between the EPA, ASTHO and the Environmental Council of the States, and the EPA said the work supports the Federal Lead Action Plan and the Make America Healthy Again initiative. m:…6583
The Justice Department's announcement was narrower but more pointed. East Baton Rouge Parish was selected as one of four jurisdictions to receive federal funding through the Model Cities Initiative, which the department describes as a flagship effort to combat violent crime. Attorney General Blanche, Governor Landry and Senator Cassidy took part in the announcement, and the department said the initiative aims to restore law and order and strengthen public safety. m:…8892
What the money and the expertise buy
New Mexico's move shows the other side of the same pattern: a state choosing to take up a federal program rather than waiting for Washington to run it. Participation in the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit begins in 2027. Taxpayers will be able to claim a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 a year as individual filers, or up to $3,400 a year as joint filers, for donations to certified scholarship-granting organizations. Students with household income not exceeding 300% of the area's median gross income will be eligible for funding, and the New Mexico Public Education Department will establish a process for certification of the organizations in the coming weeks. The administration said the program will not cost New Mexico taxpayers or adversely affect state tax revenues or appropriations. m:…3183
The pattern here is worth naming plainly. In all three cases, the federal government is supplying the thing it has — money, scientific staff, or a tax credit — and asking a state or local partner to supply the thing it does not: the local knowledge, the staff on the ground, and the relationships with the people affected. This suggests the preferred way of delivering domestic policy is partnership rather than direct federal operation, which puts the practical question on the partners: whether state health agencies, a Louisiana parish, and New Mexico's education department can absorb the work at the pace Washington wants. m:…6583 m:…8892 m:…3183
What to watch
Several basic facts are still missing. The Justice Department's announcement did not name the other three jurisdictions selected for the Model Cities Initiative, and it gave no funding figure for East Baton Rouge Parish. The EPA agreement likewise carries no dollar figure in the release, and it does not say how the technical assistance will be measured. New Mexico's announcement is the most concrete of the three, with a start date, credit amounts and an eligibility line, but it does not say how many scholarship-granting organizations the state expects to certify, or how quickly. The next signal will be whether other states follow New Mexico into the tax credit program, and whether the EPA and Justice Department announcements produce visible local results or stay as press releases. m:…8892 m:…6583 m:…3183
What is still unresolved
- The other three jurisdictions selected for the Model Cities Initiative were not named.
- No funding figure was given for East Baton Rouge Parish or for the EPA-ASTHO agreement.
- New Mexico has not said how many scholarship-granting organizations it expects to certify.
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