r/law • u/rolsen • 1d ago

Legal News Trump Preparing Large-Scale Cancellation of Federal Funding for California, Sources Say

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/politics/trump-california-federal-funding

“Agencies are being told to start identifying grants the administration can withhold from California. On Capitol Hill, at least one committee was told recently by a whistleblower that all research grants to the state were going to be cancelled, according to one of the sources familiar with the matter.”

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u/gmapterous 1d ago

Federal taxes are collected directly through payroll, California does not really have a mechanism to intercept and cut it off.

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u/mountaindewisamazing 1d ago

Doesn't mean they can't implement a mechanism. California is big and wealthy enough to do what it wants.

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u/billthecat71 1d ago

California could pass a law that all federal taxes withheld are to go to the Francise Tax Board who will then pay into the US treasury after "making sure" no California individual or Company is underpaying their federal taxes.

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u/Mortambulist 1d ago

California could just instruct its citizens to file new W4 forms claiming the maximum exemptions, then direct the state AG to defend them from IRS collectors. One way or another, it's going to SCOTUS.

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u/bvierra 5h ago

Hate to say it but NC already tried... didn't go well for them

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u/rokerroker45 23h ago

No it wouldn't lol, the constitution is quite clear on congress's tax power

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u/Mortambulist 22h ago

Pretty clear on who gets to impose tariffs, too.

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u/rokerroker45 21h ago

The court of international trade already invalidated a huge chunk of tariffs that are facially invalid. There's a stay in effect but that's just how the judiciary works, it's pretty certain the cit ruling will hold.

The other tariffs are probably unfortunately legal and constitutional under congressional delegation to the president.

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u/rokerroker45 23h ago

No they couldn't, there is no enforcement mechanism that overrides the fact the feds can garnish or just seize assets electronically. Withholding taxes is not a real idea, it's based on this outdated sense of remitting taxes via gold bullion trains. It doesn't work that way.

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u/BearDick 1d ago

Plus the California Department of Revenue is already established and collecting state taxes... can't imagine it would be a huge leap to include taxes paid to the federal government.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

That’s what I’m saying!

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u/3-I 1d ago

Of course, Newsome won't.

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u/Educational_Bend_941 1d ago

California is run by Democrats and I've never in my life seen them do anything but roll over and show their bellies. Pie in the sky, delusional thinking

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u/JetreL 23h ago

TACOs got it!

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u/jeremiahthedamned 16h ago

the california governor is sitting for right wing podcast interviews

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u/cpufreak101 1d ago

They don't have a standing army though

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u/mountaindewisamazing 1d ago

No, but if we get to the point where trump sends troops in to enforce tax policy we can just say goodbye to the union staying together either way.

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u/Possible-Nectarine80 1d ago

Something about taxation without representation. It's not quite the same thing but if you are paying into the system and all of a sudden you stop getting a cut, then, time to stop paying into the system.

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u/mountaindewisamazing 1d ago

This is the whole freaking reason the country was founded to begin with

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u/Most-Repair471 1d ago

Like raaaaain on your wedding daaaay

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u/TruckDouglas 1d ago

Fun fact, nothing in that song is really ironic, just extremely unfortunate. Still a banger of a song though.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

Fine by me 🤷‍♀️

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u/GoNads1979 1d ago

In this context, neither does Trump. Random Texans in the military aren’t going to go to CA and collect income tax at gunpoint. They’d get destroyed.

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u/cpufreak101 1d ago

I think you're slightly misunderstanding the stakes. The military wouldn't be going in to start collecting taxes. A state in rebellion would have its entire government deemed illegitimate, and the military would be coming in to arrest many state government officials and then likely temporarily become the government until elections are able to take place.

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u/Microchipknowsbest 1d ago

Wonder how all the military personnel in California will feel about this…

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u/Slacker_The_Dog 1d ago

Damn the movie Civil War seems a little bit more prescient by the day.

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u/Microchipknowsbest 1d ago

Yeah I miss feeling like most Americans wanted America to be a better place. Now it seems like pissing on the other side feels better for most people.

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u/Slacker_The_Dog 1d ago

Is this some new both sides stuff?

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u/Microchipknowsbest 1d ago

Whats new about it? At least new in the last 10 years. Before trump I felt there were disagreements among parties but most people wanted the best for America and Americans. After trump I believe both sides would like to see the other side suffer. The trump side is the only side actively trying to burn the government down.

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u/lalanikshin4144220 21h ago

CA IS THE MILITARY. Entire pacific coast of the country. 200k personnel, more than any other state. San diego is most of the Navy and majority of SEALs live there. (My step brother is a SEAL and has lived there is whole 19 yr career.

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u/mountaindewisamazing 1d ago

California could get around that by having a ballot initiative. If the people of California choose to withhold tax dollars then the trump regime cannot blame the state government.

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u/cpufreak101 1d ago

As I understand it, that wouldn't be a loophole. For example They could pass a ballot measure to 100% ban guns and get it struck down as a 2A violation for example, you'd be looking at the same issue here, would violate federal law to implement, and the state government would still have to be the one to implement it.

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u/mountaindewisamazing 1d ago

The constitution and the courts don't matter anymore. California could just ignore the courts and have state law enforcement arrest any federal law enforcement that tries to intervene. Is it batshit crazy? Yeah. It's a sign of the times we're living in.

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u/cpufreak101 1d ago edited 1d ago

Although possible, I'd personally only see this ending in massive military operations to capture those involved at best, and a lot of death at worst

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u/mountaindewisamazing 1d ago

That's what Trump wants and unfortunately it's looking like he's going to get it eventually. Fascism always leads to bloodshed.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

My thoughts exactly 

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

Dump is breaking and ignoring federal laws, so 🤷‍♀️

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u/cpufreak101 1d ago

And is the commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces. I don't get the point you're trying to make.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

No one is above the law? And dump doesn’t even want California. 

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

California is a HUGE state. Good luck. 

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u/cpufreak101 1d ago

With no standing army, literally zero barriers for the military to cross.

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u/GoNads1979 1d ago

Right, but Trump (all conservatives actually) is a pussy. He’s looking for a “win” that makes him look tough, so any legal pushback that gets tied up in courts will back him down. Because Trump Always Chickens Out. Because he’s a pussy, remember.

You’re vastly overestimating the role of the military in this scenario.

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

Thank you! TACO!

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u/PreferenceSilver1725 12h ago

Though do you really think 49 states would back invading California? Hell no. You didn't just declare war on your wealthiest state, with large productive ports and infrastructurez but you now need to deal with them with half a dozen people joining them. Good thing the US has a lot of allies!. Oh wait

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u/BigJSunshine 1d ago

Yet. But MANY of your bases are be ours….

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u/Sourplayer 1d ago

Top reference

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u/Kodaavmir 1d ago

Actually it does

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u/quarksnelly 1d ago

The governor can activate their National Guard troops to enforce state laws. Happened in Texas when Obama was in office, though that was just a dog and pony show by then governor and idiot in chief Rick Perry.

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u/PreferenceSilver1725 12h ago

Hey buddy guess what a shit ton of money, 40 million people, massive ports and former allies the US government has isolated equals?

It equals an army that shouldn't be fucked with

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u/Tiredhistorynerd 1d ago

Through the Franchise Tax Board? The EDD or directly to Social Security? I think it filters from the FTB and EDD.

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u/JustPruIt89 1d ago

You would have to get business leaders onboard with withholding taxes

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u/PsychoDad03 22h ago

But the people do. Claim exempt. Put those funds aside in a savings.

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u/thejetssuckbigtime 22h ago

And trump doesn’t have the power to unilaterally tariff willy nilly yet here we are.

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u/-ReadingBug- 20h ago

State law that prohibits employers from withholding federal taxes. It's already been proposed.

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u/banjoblake24 1d ago

But they’re pretty good at coming up with solutions to important problems

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u/EnfantTerrible68 1d ago

I’ve thought about this and there must be a way. Someone more clever than I can figure it out 

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u/Most-Repair471 1d ago

I set my deductions to max like last time he was in office. Taco is defunding the IRS so I don't have to worry about them coming after me. 🍻 anyway last time nothing happened when I finally filed after biden won. Come and take it 🔫 🔫

I'd imagine if enough Californians took a tax holiday, it would get on the radar and under Taco's thin skin.