By now, most Americans have probably heard of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency ( DOGE ). The regulator group, spearheaded by Elon Musk, has been instrumental in identifying the administrative spare that plagues America’s great and unaccountable federal government.
Despite receiving much-deserved praise for its merits, common governmental waste is not a problem unique to the federal government. Taxpayer cash is also being used to fund foolish unelected bureaucrats whose interests frequently conflict with those of voters in the 50 state governments that make up the majority of America.
This inexplicable third branch of government is on the verge of poisoning and destroying the very constitutional framework established by the Founding Fathers if left unchecked. Given these high stakes, some liberal protesters are stepping up with an remedy they believe can help treat this pervasive illness.
Launched on Wednesday, the State Leadership Initiative ( SLI ) is a coalition-building organization aimed at ensuring Republican-run “red states” operate in the best interests of GOP voters. The initiative seeks to reduce unnecessary regulations and spending, assign conservatives to key state government positions, and advance important legislation across the nation by working with like-minded individuals.
” These crimson state institutions and the marshes in these dark states are very real. SLI President and Co-Founder Noah Wall stated in The Federalist that they are “incredibly strong and the biggest barrier to the shift that we need to see.”” They may be smaller than the federal government, but they are very strong and the largest barrier to modify.”
Red States Gone Rogue
According to Wall, meetings he had with SLI Co-Founder Nate Fischer about the role of state in America’s centralist system of governance gave rise to the idea for the State Leadership Initiative. The SLI president noted how in modern times, state governments are largely” considered]to be ] almost an afterthought”, and have effectively become” clients of the federal government” when it comes to key implementing policies and programs.
” Most of the action takes place on the national level, but that’s not how it’s supposed to be historically”, Wall said. ” State were supposed to play the crucial role in leading and guiding their citizens and their populations in the advancement of their ideals. … They were designed to be distinct and separate from]the provincial authorities ]”.
Interactions between Wall and Fischer about how says — especially those controlled by Republicans — is “distinguish themselves” in the current system led to investigations of existing state institutions, their policies, rules, and more. According to Wall, what they soon discovered is that” the present state of dark says is that they are properly blue state with lower income.”
As an example, the Dual president cited statistics from an August 2024 study by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, which ranked claims according to their overall amount of regulatory constraints. The study found that, as of 2023, several Republican-run states were more regulated than those run by Democrats.
Red states such as Texas (5th ) and Louisiana ( 10th ), for example, were ranked higher on the list than blue states like Colorado ( 12th ) and Maryland ( 21st ).
Wall also noted figures from the American Legislative Exchange Council’s” Rich States, Poor States” 2024 report, which found higher numbers of public sector employees in numerous GOP states than in Democrat ones. Taken from the U. S. Census Bureau, the 2022 data shows that red states such as Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska boast more public employees per 10, 000 residents than blue states like New York, Vermont, and California.
SLI Co-Founder Nate Fischer attributed Republicans ‘ failure to address these sizable bureaucracies in their states to the “managerial system that pervades our institutions” in an interview with The Federalist. He specifically cited colleges as an illustration of this phenomenon, where leftists take control of an institution and status quo Republicans accept it without retaliation.
According to Fischer, “politics ultimately results in red states ] that have largely accepted the same form of government as all these other institutions that have drifted left.” In “blue states ,]Democrats ] have a structure that enables their aggressive pursuit of their political agenda. Republicans tend to have a structure that is essentially opposed to their agenda in many cases. So, most of the time] Republicans ] will stick to kind of easy policies on the margins ]rather than enacting substantive changes ]”.
The Game Plan
According to Wall, the State Leadership Initiative is adopting a multi-faceted approach to address these pressing issues.
The first prong of this plan is to form leadership teams in each of the group’s initial target states: Florida, Indiana, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. These teams are currently being considered for SLI’s staff.
According to Wall, once onboarded, these conservative activists will” start working on getting aligned individuals placed on]state ] boards and commissions”, where they can have a “quick impact”. The SLI co-founder noted how such boards “oversee everything , from state investments to university systems, so much can be accomplished with effective oversight”.
” These states have governance structures in which citizens of these states are actively engaged in. We’re just not using all of those resources the way that’s necessary,” Wall said. We saw this as a unique opportunity to quickly pique people’s interest as we create our roundtables and begin involving them in the process.
However, SLI’s strategy only includes attracting and putting top conservative talent into these positions. To further its goals, the organization is attempting to form coalitions of like-minded individuals and activists throughout these states.
Working with organizations like the State Freedom Caucus Network to pass legislation that will end these red states ‘ excessive bureaucracies and reduce wasteful spending is one of the goals. Wall specifically made a note of how freedom caucus legislators frequently don’t have the resources and backing the establishment, and that SLI intends to provide that support through its collaborative partnerships with other conservative groups.
” Right now, there’s very little infrastructure that will stand up and publicly support the legislators that are out there” fighting for our interests, Wall said. There must be a support network there to support legislators who are willing to do the right thing.
SLI is planning to work with several organizations in order to accomplish its mission, including the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Action, Center for Renewing America, and the Job Creators Network.
Speaking of the organization’s launch and mission, Heritage Foundation President and SLI Board Member Kevin Roberts told The Federalist that the creation of SLI sends a message that” the era of]conservatives ] playing defense is over”, and that “it’s time to go on offense”.
” If we want to take back our country, we need more than just good intentions — we need leaders willing to wield power effectively”, Roberts said. The left has built an empire of influence for decades, while conservatives have merely tried to slow them down. That ends now”.
The Road Ahead
Wall and Fischer both expressed optimism about the State Leadership Initiative’s launch and potential, but both acknowledged potential difficulties. The co-founders made a specific point about how important it is for conservatives to be concerned with both the issues affecting their states and those that involve the federal government.
” With exciting stuff happening in D. C., it’s easy for people to lose focus on the state and shift all their energy, attention, and ambitions” away from their states, Fischer said. ” At the same time, a lot of what’s happening there is really … setting the stage for state leaders to step up and reclaim a lot]of the power ] that, historically, has been grabbed by the feds”.
Wall added that SLI must make sure that “people’s views of what a state can be are translated into and continue to demonstrate the need for people to get involved and stay engaged.”
More details can be found on SLI’s website for Americans interested in working with it.
The Federalist staff writer Shawn Fleetwood graduated from the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
