Why do federal mandates cause friction between the federal, local and state governments? Mandates are hard to implement since the federal government doesn’t pay for them and local authority is unclear. Mandates from the federal government force state or local governments to do something they may not want to do. Mandates replace state laws with federal authority, and the states feel their rights are being taken away. Mandates require a referendum, which means the states have to pay for an election and ensure participation.