Final answer:
Federal regulations requiring states to enforce policies without federal funding are called "unfunded mandates." These mandates have been contentious and led to the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, which seeks to mitigate their use.
Step-by-step explanation:
Regulations from the federal government that require states to implement policies without providing the corresponding funding are known as unfunded mandates. These are laws and regulations passed by the federal government that impose obligations on state and local governments. However, they do not provide full compensation for the costs involved in carrying out these obligations. The consequence of not complying with crosscutting mandates, which are a type of unfunded mandates, can include the reduction or suspension of federal grants, and legal actions against officials.
Unfunded mandates have been a source of contention between the federal and state or local governments, as they allow the federal government to pursue national goals without bearing the full financial burden. While the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) of 1995 attempted to restrict their use by requiring a cost analysis for mandates exceeding a certain threshold, states have experienced limited relief from these mandates.