Mary Ellen Klas: States are now the check on America’s executive

Mary Ellen Klas: States are now the check on America’s executive

Thank goodness for state governments. One of the most underappreciated stories in 2025 was the role states played in checking federal overreach. As the Trump administration barreled through norms, rules and laws, state officials — sometimes from both parties — supplied the friction to slow the administration’s power grab. Trump swept into power with Republican control over both chambers of Congress, but he avoided working with Congress as much a…