State leaders have a complicated relationship with federal grant money.They love federal cash. Just don’t tell them what to do with it or how to do it. That’s caused the state to walk away from tens of millions of dollars meant to help Oklahomans in need.Oklahoma’s federal lawsuit over family planning grants and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s decision not to participate in a summer food program for a second year are just the latest examples in the state’s love-hate relationship with federal money.To be sure, such conflicts are nothing new in American history. No matter which party is in office, states – particularly Oklahoma – have chafed at what they perceive as interfering bureaucrats from the federal government in Washington, D.C.The feds see the relationship mostly as rosy-sounding cooperative federalism, where different levels of government live in perfect harmony. The states at times see it as coercive federalism. But when relations really sour, they call it punitive federalism.The Oklahoma State Department of Health’s latest annual report notes a change in emphasis when it comes to federal funds. The agency gets more than half of its total budget from federal grants and pass-through funds. Annual state appropriations make up just 15% of its budget.“Many of our programs receive federal grant funding, which comes with requirements,” reads the report. “However, our focus remains leading Oklahoma to prosperity through health. To do so, we recognize we must put them above federal grant requirements. Therefore, we have adjusted organizational procedures to meet the needs of Oklahomans rather than satisfy federal grant requirements.”Health department officials said federal funds remain important to the agency’s public health mission. But they want to make sure the money is aligned with other state programs or can be leveraged with programs run by outside partners that also provide public health services.“We want the funding,” said agency spokeswoman Erica Rankin. “We need the funding, so it’s not that. A lot of times, the funding is siloed, and we spend it in silos, which is not effective.”Oklahoma challenged the federal government over the loss of $4.5 million in family planning grants that ended when the state refused to publicize an abortion-referral hotline. The grants cover pregnancy testing, cancer screenings, contraceptives, reproductive health counseling and other services.The state initially told the federal Department of Health and Human Services it would include the hotline during a grant review in March 2023. But Oklahoma changed ...
