'Time to cut that off': Newsom suggests withholding federal taxes from Trump admin

[justaprogressive]

California – the largest U.S. state by population and the world's fourth-largest economy by itself — is the largest payer of federal taxes of all the states. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is now entertaining the idea of depriving President Donald Trump's administration of that revenue.

Politico reported Friday that Newsom tweeted the suggestion in response to Trump floating the idea of terminating all federal. grants to California's state universities. The two-term Democrat pointed out that his state pays roughly $83 billion more in federal taxes than it gets back, according to a Rockefeller Institute analysis.

"Californians pay the bills for the federal government," Newsom said. "Maybe it’s time to cut that off."

Should Newsom follow through on that threat, it would cut off approximately 12.3% of the $4.67 trillion federal tax revenue the federal government received in 2023, according to data from the nonprofit USAFacts (founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer). That means the Golden State alone put more than $574 billion in federal coffers that year.

When asked to comment on Newsom's threat, White House spokesperson Kush Desai would only say the administration "is committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream."

https://www.alternet.org/newsom-federal-taxes-trump/

[k_buddy762]

1. At this point we might as well

re-start all the secession talks that have been happening on and off for the past decade or two.

[Bluestocking]

2. Not really feasible

since the income tax is paid by individuals and not the State. The individual can not simply stop paying Federal income taxes

[newdeal2]

3. Time to get creative then

State Republicans have created all sorts of "novel" ways of getting what they want even when it conflicts with what most people thought was the law - patrolling the border, creating a bounty system to outlaw abortion, banning books, pushing Christianity in public spaces.

[cadoman]

5. the state of CA is likely a very large employer

And then factor in each city & county and the critical taxes paid at each of those levels. What if they each halt remissions to the IRS? Revenue for MAGAT fascism vanishes.

MAGAT filth contribute nothing and are forced to abandon their fascism. Financially starve it.

[cadoman]

4. when conservatives realize they are all living off progressive generosity and borrowed time...

...they'll stop acting up?

[travelingthrulife]

6. They will double down.

[CrispyQ]

8. Seen on FB: Everything's become so expensive, soon maga will only be able to rent the libs. -nt

[David__77]

7. The state could hold back state employee federal withholding.

Of course then they’d be ordered to stop that. Then federal aid would be cut and things would escalate if there wasn’t compliance.

It’s not a totally invalid tactic, if it was part of a much broader and coordinated movement that would involve a lot more levers of power than just money. If purely symbolic, not useful.