"The latest shutdown may be unfolding thousands of miles away in Washington DC, but its consequences hit us hard here in California. A mom in Fresno waits for her SNAP benefits. A park ranger in Yosemite misses a paycheck. A veteran in Los Angeles can't reach the VA. And countless families throughout the state worry they won't be able to visit their doctor or pay for their medications because Medicaid continues to be on the chopping block."
"President Trump and his allies have made it clear. They intend to use California as an example of what happens when a state refuses to fall in line with their agenda. We've seen the attacks on our climate policies, threats to healthcare and education funding, and the danger that follows: troops being forcibly deployed on the streets of major cities like Los Angeles and Portland. Washington's chaos is being weaponized to punish Californians simply for disagreeing with Trump's twisted agenda."
"For too long, California has sent billions of our taxpayer dollars more to Washington than we get back. In just the past few years, Californians have contributed tens of billions more than we received-$55 billion in 2021, $101 billion in 2022, and $17 billion in 2023. Our taxpayers fund programs that sustain the entire nation, but when Washington stalls, we're left holding the bill-and bearing the harm."
Federal government shutdowns immediately disrupt essential services and programs across California. SNAP recipients, park rangers, veterans, and families relying on Medicaid face missed benefits, paychecks, and inaccessible care. Political brinkmanship in Washington shifts costs to working families and threatens climate, healthcare, and education funding. Targeted federal pressure uses California's policies as an example and risks deploying troops to major city streets. California consistently sends more taxpayer dollars to Washington than it receives, with net contributions of $55 billion in 2021, $101 billion in 2022, and $17 billion in 2023. California must plan and govern as if federal support will not arrive.
Read at The Nation
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