
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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