Republican members of Congress on Wednesday assailed Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s suggesting that it might be time for his state to cut off taxpayer money going to the federal government.
Addressing the matter in a June 6 post on X, Newsom said, “Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back. Maybe it’s time to cut that off, @realDonaldTrump.”
“Gov. Newsom’s threat to withhold taxpayer dollars is not only reckless, it’s deeply unserious,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told The Daily Signal.
“Gov. Newsom’s threats fall flat, as violent criminals run rampant in L.A., wreaking havoc on innocent citizens, business, and law enforcement officials,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, remarked.
“Gov. Newsom wants to play the victim, but nobody is fooled. Threatening to hold tax dollars hostage is a new low, even for him,” Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., said to The Daily Signal.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told The Daily Signal that Newsom’s suggestion would not factor into negotiations over raising the amount of state and local tax (SALT) deductions on federal taxes in the budget bill now before Congress.
“Of course not, and I would cede Governor Newsom my normal amount of attention and interest in what he says, which is zero,” the laconic Louisiana senator added.
Newsom’s social media post was made in response to a CNN story about President Donald Trump considering canceling some federal funding to the Golden State, specifically for the University of California and California State University systems. A White House spokesman said last week that no final decisions had been made over federal funding being withheld from California.
Newsom doubled down in a second post also on June 6 embedding a video, in which he reiterated his data point about California’s net contribution to the federal government.
“The idea that a sitting governor would try to financially blackmail the federal government because he’s mad that President Trump is stepping in to restore law and order in a crime-ridden city like Los Angeles is absurd,” Norman contended.
“Instead of thanking President Trump for defending his state, Newsom is throwing a tantrum of partisan theatrics. California deserves better leadership,” the South Carolina congressman added.
“Instead of wasting time blasting President Trump on TV hits and social media, Gov. Newsom should focus on the job he was elected for—to keep Californians safe,” Pfluger noted.
“The federal government has the right to step in and restore law and order when states fail to do so, and I [am] very pleased that President Trump has done so here,” the Texas congressman said.
“These violent riots are showing the natural consequences of California’s sanctuary-state policies—throngs of lawless individuals waving foreign flags while they attack law enforcement officials for simply doing their jobs. This chaos resembles an invasion, not integration. I am fully behind President Trump’s tough moves to crush the chaos and shield Americans from Newsom’s disastrous policies,” Harris told The Daily Signal.
It’s not immediately clear how Newsom would even go about following through on his threat. A California nonprofit called CalMatters asked several tax experts, who pointed out that federal taxes are paid directly to the federal government.
Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom told the media group that the state was considering “whether there are potential options that would allow it to retain some of the funding it typically sends the federal government.” But Gallegos said Newsom was not telling people to stop paying their taxes.
“What the governor, I think, was suggesting in the tweet is that [the president] may suggest and talk a tough game about taking away dollars, but if you really want to go down this road, let’s have a serious discussion about how much California contributes to the national economy and to the national Treasury in terms of the amount of tax dollars that Californians pay to the federal government,” H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for Newsom’s Department of Finance, told KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif.
Newsom’s post on X comes after the largest city in his state, Los Angeles, erupted into violent protests over the enforcement of federal immigration law by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agitators in LA committed a number of crimes, including looting, burning cars, and attacking police officers. The breakdown in law and order prompted Trump to deploy the military to the city. The president sent about 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to support local law enforcement and ICE, a move supported by a majority of Americans, according to a new poll this week.
Senate Republican leadership also affirmed the president’s actions in a press conference Tuesday. “I think when it comes to the issue of safety and security, all you have to do is look at what’s happening and has been happening in Los Angeles to realize that our law enforcement needs all the support that we could possibly give to them,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters.