this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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The Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding for California, an effort that could begin as soon as Friday, according to multiple sources.

Agencies are being told to start identifying grants the administration can withhold from California. Sources said the administration is specifically considering a full termination of federal grant funding for the University of California and California State University systems.

Singling out one state for massive cuts would be an unusual move, but Donald Trump has long made Democratic-led California a target.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 minute ago

Since Confederate States of America have gained a negative connotation and to avoid confusion, you could proclaim Libertarian States of America, I know most people here are not libertarian, but still fucking closer to that than typical trumpists, and they are going to steal the word otherwise. Said as a libertarian and a citizen of Russia, which means I'll enjoy watching the events from afar quite a lot, might even remember to make popcorn.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

anti-science funding. the threat to fascists states are usually intellectual and science so they are often the first to be persecuted before minorities are. most of the people in the industries are smart enough to leave the country before sht hits the fan.

[–] [email protected] 92 points 12 hours ago (6 children)

If the federal government isn't going to give California back the federal taxes paid by its citizens then it should stop paying federal taxes.

[–] MangioneDontMiss 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

its a good thing i stopped paying federal taxes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 37 minutes ago* (last edited 37 minutes ago)

First pretty dumb to say this publicly if true... But second: you do realize that the rules about paying taxes literally, only apply to people like you and I? They 100% will continue to go after low hanging fruit, and that means people who can't afford a team of attorneys on retainer.

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[–] [email protected] 244 points 15 hours ago (20 children)

Sounds like California should cancel the taxes it would normally send to the fed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

Califexit. Or Cali Fecks Off depending where n your point of view.

[–] [email protected] 105 points 15 hours ago (5 children)

That would break the bank. California is 4th largest economy in the world, after the U.S., China, and Germany. It would probably cause Trump to declare martial law and send troops to California.

[–] [email protected] 91 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I mean, good luck? CA is also obscenely well defended, since most of its modern wealth came from it being considered a battleground vs Japan and Russia, so there's loads of bases.

Most likely, this will just yet again be a defeat in court. That dude is just throwing shit against the wall and hoping some of it will stick.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

so there’s loads of bases

Staffed with federal employees. Fort Hunter isn't going to protect Californians from the Pentagon. It is the Pentagon.

Also, and this is a much bigger deal, Gavin Newsome is a cowardly little parasite. He's not going to side with Californians on this. He's going to grovel on his belly and lick Trump's shoes hoping he can convince The Donald to relent.

Most likely, this will just yet again be a defeat in court.

So long as DOGE runs the US Treasury, it hardly matters. If Trump starts cancelling payments and reversing transactions at a California scale, he'll drag the whole country into recession overnight. Courts can issue orders, but only the Treasury has the power to authorize payments.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

You're assuming Trump wouldn't also fuck over troops stationed here in California. Remember military personnel are reliant on local infrastructure in a lot of areas and if Trump starts fucking with it again the military may be caught in the crossfire.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

I'm assuming the comment "declaring martial law" would require nat guard (natives) and stationed troops (federal) to attempt to impose order. Not sure what that has to do with local infra, but the last time they tried that (LA Riots) it didn't go great. Doing it for a strictly political reason would likely result in some very hard decisions for a lot of nat guard and some federal career military. The Nat Guard and federales couldn't even restore order in South Central when most of the state was in their corner, it'd be madness to think they could handle the whole state when it was over a pissing match.

California gets roughly $162.9 billion from the fed. California pays roughly $692 billion to the fed in taxes.

It'd be pretty easy to see them choosing to just withhold whatever Trump decided to deny them and say "fine, then we'll just make up the offset, suck it", and then things would get interesting indeed.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (7 children)

Yeah but how the fuck would he pay the troops without, you know, California's money?

I maintain the quickest way for military and LEOs to drop support for Trump is realizing they aren't gonna get paid or that their money has become essentially worthless. Either scenario will pit them against him. If they can't feed their families they will turn, considering it's an all volunteer military. He would have to instate a harsh draft first to avoid that.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 hours ago

I'd love to sign up but I have really bad bone spurs...

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

If you subtract California from the USA is it still #1?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 hours ago

Yes. The U.S. GDP is around $30 trillion. China is around $19 trillion. California is around $4 trillion.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (5 children)

Remember, the state doesn’t pay taxes, individual citizens do by filling out their annual federal income taxes.

So, if “California” were to stop giving money to the federal government, the governor would basically need to convince individual citizens not to file their 1040.

And all of those people would have to clinch their assholes and hope Trump didn’t sick the IRS on them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

If we had less of a coward in sacramento, id say they could back us.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

They can stop taking federal taxes out of state employee pay

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

But then each of those people get walloped with a big ass 1040 payment from the feds at the end of the year. And they feds can chose to make an “example” of random people who don’t pay up.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

If Californians (Or everyone) just filed for extensions en masse, that alone would fuck shit up and would be totally legal.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

If Californians (Or everyone) just filed for extensions en masse

Most people don't owe the IRS money. They're owed a rebate. How would filing for an extension benefit someone who is expecting a $2000 check back from the IRS for excess paid?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

A little, but not that much. The federal government already has most of the money because of tax withholding from employers. When you file taxes as an employee you're just balancing what's leftover and playing "did I over or under pay even though you already know that." It would require the state preventing employers from withholding or sending money to the IRS on behalf of their employees, and I doubt companies would just unilaterally stop doing that.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 12 hours ago

Presumably California would declare that they wouldn't comply with IRS investigations but those people would be vulnerable if they travel or have assets outside California

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago

Also employers would need to all simultaneously stop withholding taxes from employee paychecks for federal taxes, since you can't just update your W-2 to a $0 withholding without claiming dependents, multiple other jobs, etc. You don't "choose" your withholding, you just check the boxes that calculates the minimum withholding.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 hours ago

Another day another senile ramble

[–] [email protected] 60 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)

I don't know all the ins and outs of this, but somehow I doubt that Trump has as much financial leverage against the fourth largest economy in the world as he apparently thinks he does.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 hours ago

I doubt it's him who thinks he does. Remember, Putin is calling the shots, and his goal is to destabilize and destroy the US.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Add NY, MA, AND NJ and you have a block that is on quite solid ground.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 15 hours ago (5 children)

So Americans need to switch it off and on again. Gather up new founding fathers and mothers, write up a new constitution and declaration of independence - write up documents for a new federation between states...

Create a back up United States. Declare the old one null and void. Stop interacting with the old one. Start interacting with the new one.

Call all this something benign sounding. Try not to go to war about it. But yeah, you all need to switch this shit off and on again.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

The University of California is the largest employer in the state.

In most other states, Walmart is the biggest employer.

Talk about giving higher education the middle finger!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 42 minutes ago

Is it because they are a hospital network like the University of Pittsburgh? (UPMC is the largest in PA)

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

No taxation without representation.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

He's still mad that Schwarzenegger took over The Celebrity Apprentice

[–] [email protected] 11 points 12 hours ago

Holy shit. This would be so on brand for Trump that it's probably the main reason.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 15 hours ago (11 children)

Is California secession still a thing?

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