A common method the federal government uses to exert influence on states is through the use of financial grants. These grants are given only to those states that meet all the conditions and stipulations that the federal government places on the money. If a state wants to have access to this federal assistance they have no choice but to abide by the conditions attached to the grant. An example of this can be seen in the state imposed legal drinking age of 21. In past years the drinking age varied from one state to another, typically ranging from 18 to 21 years of age. If the federal government had drawn up legislature to pass a federal law on the subject it likely would have been challenged as unconstitutional. Instead Congress stipulated that states had to set the legal drinking age to 21 in order to continue to receive federal highway funds. In the end the states could not afford to lose this funding so each state
A common method the federal government uses to exert influence on states is through the use of financial grants. These grants are given only to those states that meet all the conditions and stipulations that the federal government places on the money. If a state wants to have access to this federal assistance they have no choice but to abide by the conditions attached to the grant. An example of this can be seen in the state imposed legal drinking age of 21. In past years the drinking age varied from one state to another, typically ranging from 18 to 21 years of age. If the federal government had drawn up legislature to pass a federal law on the subject it likely would have been challenged as unconstitutional. Instead Congress stipulated that states had to set the legal drinking age to 21 in order to continue to receive federal highway funds. In the end the states could not afford to lose this funding so each state