Should Federal Dollars Come with Strings Attached? – with Mitch Daniels & Elena Patel

Should Federal Dollars Come with Strings Attached? – with Mitch Daniels & Elena Patel

From You Might Be Right by Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at University of Tennessee

April 23, 2026 · 53 min · Season 8 · Episode 54

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of federal funding on state budgets and the decision-making process involved.

As billions of federal dollars flow through state budgets, who should decide how that money gets spent? Former IN Governor & OMB Director Mitch Daniels and Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center co-director Elena Patel join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to unpack the balance between federal priorities and state flexibility, and what it means for taxpayers.

People in this episode

Hosts: Haslam, Bredesen

Guests: Mitch Daniels, Elena Patel

Topics covered

  • federal funding
  • state budgets
  • government priorities
  • taxpayer impact
  • public policy

Keywords

  • federal dollars
  • state flexibility
  • tax policy
  • government spending
  • public affairs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at University of Tennessee

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