As Republicans eye an agenda in the coming era of Trump, some in Congress and in state legislatures across the country are looking for ways to curtail the extreme activism liberal big cities have engaged in during the era of Obama.
As liberal big cities across the nation rush to raise the minimum wage far past limits in state and federal law — as they announce “sanctuary city” policies to shield criminal illegals from prosecution for their crimes and from deportation, take up new taxes on sodas, implement tobacco restrictions, announce global warming schemes and other far left policies — Republican state legislatures are looking more and more at invoking preemption laws to shut down the extreme activism by city officials.
Linda Upmeyer, the Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, explained that liberal cities are attempting to circumvent both state laws and state legislatures. But legislatures are starting to look at reining in those untoward actions.
“I think we will likely look at language on preemption so that the state is making decisions where it ought to, and cities and counties are making decisions where they should,” she said, according to The Hill.
Preemption laws are essentially justified by the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which rules that federal law preempts state laws. In similar fashion, many state constitutions maintain that state laws take precedence over local statutes, and it is this rule many state legislatures are beginning to invoke.
Already some states have invoked preemption laws to shut down left-wing policies in cities. The Hill notes that both Michigan and Wisconsin have preempted local laws banning plastic bags, and legislatures in Texas and Colorado have acted to prevent local municipalities from banning hydraulic fracking. Also, the Ohio legislature has informed local governments that they cannot pass their own minimum wage laws.
This is likely just the beginning, as state legislatures across the nation begin to eye preemption laws to head off a long list of liberal activism. From liberal anti-gun laws to liberal pro-illegal immigrant policies, to confiscatory tax plans, local municipalities are on notice in many states that their liberal activism won’t be allowed to stand.
As the era of Obama winds down, Republicans will have more opportunities than ever to make such moves due to the devastation of the Democrat Party in nearly every corner of the nation.
Democrats now control only five of our 50 states and have lost well over 1,000 seats since Barack Obama came to office in 2009.
The states are far from the only place Republicans are looking to pass rules to limit the activism of liberal cities.
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly said he’d look into taking federal funds away from so-called “sanctuary cities” to punish them for shielding criminal illegals. And Republicans in Congress are considering a variety of devices to help Trump fulfill his promise.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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