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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[–] ghostlychonk@lemm.ee 328 points 5 days ago (29 children)

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

[–] N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 151 points 5 days ago (7 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.

[–] miguel@fedia.io 127 points 5 days ago (4 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.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 39 points 5 days 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.

[–] miguel@fedia.io 46 points 5 days 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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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 41 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (8 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.

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[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 43 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (14 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.

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[–] LonstedBrowryBased@lemm.ee 16 points 3 days ago

Raging war on the greatest state within the country that he rules. What a fucking sack of shit.

[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

Next: California will not pay Federal taxes?

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 37 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If the Federal Government boycotts California, then California should close every Federal agency, prohibit all Federal employees from working, and confiscate all Federal property, then make it illegal to pay Federal income taxes in California. Instead, Federal income taxes will be collected by the state, and used to provide free health care and college for all California citizens.

They should also form a state pact with Oregon and Washington, then form an alliance with Canada and Mexico. That would surround about 3/4 of the USA

That would allow them to cut off MAGA access to the west coast ports, and charge exorbitant taxes and fees to get shipments from Asia, or be forced to ship them through the Panama Canal to the East Coast.

[–] slingstone@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago (4 children)

The war that would result would be like nothing any of us have ever experienced, except for our veterans, perhaps, though they would never have had to fight their own people before. The only people who would truly know ahead of time what to expect would be those who came to this country from war-torn regions that had experienced civil war.

California is powerful economically, but do they have the military might to withstand the hell that the US Army can unleash? If other states join them, it'll be utter chaos, and who knows how it ends, but that might turn the tide for the rebels as the military would likely fracture as many might follow their states to the exit.

Aside from utter dissolution of the Union, the only way I can see California standing up to the USA would be to have a nuclear deterrent available immediately upon independence, which would likely mean seizing as many federal nuclear weapons as they could. Whether the California National Guard would be up to that is beyond my ken.

God help us all if Trump continues on this path.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 7 points 4 days ago

Considering that many members of the military have been based in California for a long time, it has become their home. They have met their lovers, raised families, known comrades, and steeped in the culture of California. I think it is a fair bet that a large chunk of the military in California would be loyal to the territory. Washington is a far off place, filled with cretinous and bonespur-ridden leaders who badmouthed the service of those who were willing to bleed.

Here's hoping this assertion holds true. If not, the nation is well and truly lost to evil.

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[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 54 points 4 days ago

California should cancel state funding for the federal government.

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 157 points 5 days ago (18 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.

[–] Tilgare@lemmy.world 67 points 5 days ago (5 children)
[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 40 points 5 days ago (3 children)

I'm going to be fucking shook if Gavin actually does it. So far, the only people I've seen him meaningfully stand up to are bay area NIMBYs and homeless people.

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[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 15 points 5 days ago

Taco Don doesn't understand how anything works.

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[–] Eddbopkins@lemmy.world 59 points 5 days ago (1 children)

if state funding is being canceled, that state should leave the union. why be apart of the united states government if trump is dismantling and destroying the united states government.

[–] postmateDumbass@lemmy.world 25 points 4 days ago (7 children)

The American thing to do is fight for America.

The people who want California to just leave are the ones who want to dismantle the country.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 35 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (9 children)

I’m Californian. The federal government, for my entire life, has just taken and taken and taken from me. I have received nothing in return. I don’t need your shitty union of thugs and mouth breathers, and I don’t need your bullshit military colonizing waste of time and money.

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Correct. But what you may have implied and got wrong is that this is somehow a bad idea. America is long overdue for a federal collapse. This cultural infighting is unsustainable.

As a new Yorker I am sick of having my tax dollars go to subsidize hicks in the deep south and Midwest that ultimately vote against my rights. I am more than happy to see the bridges that unite us burn because the concept of "unity" in a melting pot is a ticking time bomb, as it always has been.

[–] KingPorkChop@lemmy.ca 15 points 4 days ago (4 children)

The people who want California to just leave are the ones who want to dismantle the country.

This Canadian is fine with it at this point. Fuck the USA. We've been your friend forever and you shit on us.

Burn baby burn.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 38 points 4 days ago

How about California cancelling paying federal taxes in turn? This would probably lead to a big loss for the federal budget, wouldn't it?

[–] RabbitBBQ@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago (5 children)

The ICE raids are meant to cause the response we are seeing, and eventually an even more powerful response. The White House has already been throwing around the word insurrection, which implies the insurrection act. If the natural escalation that they expect takes place, it could create the conditions where the insurrection act can be invoked. Since the Federal level is under control of the Trump Administration, that leaves the National Guard, state police, county sheriffs, and local police departments. The only one of these capable of standing up to the Feds would be the National Guard. If things turn ugly over the next few weeks during continued raids in places like L.A., it could force the Governor to deploy the national guard given the numbers of people involved. Some of these communities are well armed and they are already fighting back. If the goal is to cause the conditions to invoke the insurrection act, it would take away the ablity of the California Governor to direct his national guard. They can be forced to follow the orders of the President, which is one of the reasons for using the Insurrection Act in the first place.

In a place like L.A., this leaves just the LAPD and Sherrifs department and they do not have the power to stop both the Feds and a national guard under White House control. L.A. seems to be heavily targeted by the Trump administration in many different ways. They are looking at bribery and corruption in many areas like LA Homeless Agency. The ICE raids targeted the Fashion District are meant as an economic attack, as many of those people worked in shops and factories. Other ICE raids targeted companies involved in agriculture. The Trump admin is also looking at other Federal funding to take away from California.

All of this combined could mean that the state Government, state and local police cannot protect these communities from what is being sent after them, partially as an overall form of economic warfare against California generally. You have the wildfire funds, the tariffs attacking the shipping areas of coastal California, and it's obvious that it is a well planned operation. Behind this too is a hostile DOJ and FBI, not to mention DHS, ICE, and everyone else. They are being hunted.

The State Government can't protect anyone either, they have been totally outmanuvered at every stage, because they are just coasting until 2026. The one advantage people have is their numbers. Peaceful protest is the way forward, it just takes a lot more people knowing about the raids and being present to protest them. If the Trump admin wants a Kent state or Tiananmen Square type situation on their hands, that will be on them...

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 19 points 4 days ago (2 children)

"The takeover will be bloodless if the left allows it to be."

There's your choice, America.

[–] Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Just so others know that is an actual quote.

"I want to encourage you with some substance that we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” - Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/04/leader-of-the-pro-trump-project-2025-suggests-there-will-be-a-new-american-revolution-00166583

[–] Cocopanda@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

I will find this man and show him how peaceful the left can be.

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[–] Jhuskindle@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago

So pandering to Trump didn't help Newsom amazing how that works

[–] Deflated0ne@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Cali should stop paying taxes.

I'm not paying taxes to a fascist government. A State can figure out how to do it too.

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Then California should cancel sending money to the federal government.

California should secede

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Yep. California pays more than it gets back, so this is a win for California.

[–] SolidShake@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago (2 children)

california doesnt even need federal funding. california funds everyone else.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 13 points 4 days ago

We also feed everyone else.

[–] j0ester@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago

All blue states feed the poorly uneducated.

[–] who@feddit.org 70 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 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.

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[–] tomkatt@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago
[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Krasnov and his Kremlin bosses always wanted to turn California into another fucking red run oblast shithole like Arkansas.

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 55 points 5 days ago (6 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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[–] unabart@sh.itjust.works 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

He’s just jealous because California has the best TACOs.

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[–] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

How many stories about a modern American civil war start with this exact scenario?

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[–] MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago

secession is a necessity.

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The federal government has irrevocably been compromised, US states need to be able to leave it. Preferably like the UK left the EU, without a civil war. It's only going to get worse, and reform is no longer possible, as too many branches have been compromised and midterms are likely to be compromised by Agent Kraskov and friends. As much as the Trump-Musk sideshow feud keeps going, it's not doing much and is not likely to do much to stop Trump.

[–] Cocopanda@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago (3 children)

This is a test of the Union that formed after the Civil War. We should have scrubbed the Electoral College then and we should have forced the redistribution of land to the slaves. With federal forces providing local police protection. So the palm colored people couldn't hurt them.

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, Lincoln was murdered soon after the South surrendered, and Andrew Johnson, a drunken Confederate sympathizer took over as president, and led the post-war Reconstruction.

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[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 25 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days 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.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 9 points 4 days ago

better to just balkanize the blue states, and let the red states without welfare for a change.

[–] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 34 points 5 days ago (1 children)

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

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