John Kincaid, Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service, is quoted in a Governing article about how despite the fact that the federal government assumed greater power during the greatest crises of the past century, the coronavirus pandemic has been an exception. Rather than seizing greater authority or even using the powers already available to him, President Trump largely outsourced pandemic response to the states.
“The downside of the response is that the states themselves have not coordinated or had a common approach, either. We’ve had some regional coordination, but you see a clear division in the states along party lines, which is very similar to what we see in the federal government,” Kincaid shared.
