Whoever is in control of a "layer" will always want to consolidate control - that means they will try to impose their own favored policies on all other "layers"

Whoever is in control of a "layer" will always want to consolidate control - that means they will try to impose their own favored policies on all other "layers" below them, through whatever means they have at their disposal. There are theoretical and ideological debates to be had about "states rights," but politicians are interested primarily in exercising power, not in having philosophical debates about the precise balance of powers required for good governance. If an elected official speaks of "states rights," it's usually just a bad faith argument to throw people off the scent of their actual agenda.