The U.S. Government’s expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl ofconflicting cross-currents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government’s responsibility to solve problems often exceed the capacity of state and local authorities to respond effectively. On the other hand, policies developed at the national level may no sufficiently reflect the great diversity of interests across the U.S. to be effective at the local level. Moreover, the search for effective policy is further complicated by theoretical debates about the constitutional framework of federalism (e.g. what limits on national power can be derived from the 10th Amendment?). The policy issue is going to be federal poverty, welfare and unemployment policies