States Pre-empt Cities Almost to the Point of Irrelevance Over the past decade, states have preempted cities across a broad range of policy areas, including policing and health. If anything, the pandemic has only accelerated the trend. Alan Greenblatt, Senior Staff Writer | February 8, 2021 | Analysis
Over the past couple of weeks, the city of Austin has purchased two hotels, pursuing a new tactic to address its serious homelessness problem. Much of the money is coming out of the police budget. Last year, the council approved shifting millions from policing to pay for supportive housing programs, as a public safety priority.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been a persistent critic of Austin’s decision to cut its police budget and divert funds for other uses. “Defunding police is reckless and endangers lives,” Abbott tweeted last month. “We will defund cities that tried to defund police.”