����vlog

ARE CRUEL. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS REPORTEDLY PREPARING TO SWEEP LARGE SCALE FUNDING FROM CALIFORNIA, AND IN RESPONSE, THE GOVERNOR HAS FLOATED CUTTING OFF BILLIONS IN CALIFORNIA TAX DOLLARS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. YEAH, THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO GO LIVE RIGHT NOW. TO KCRA THREE CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT ASHLEY ZAVALA IN THE STUDIO HERE TRACKING THIS RIGHT NOW. WHAT’S GOING ON AND WHAT EVENTUALLY THIS COULD MEAN FOR ALL OF US. GULSTAN AT THE MOMENT, WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS LARGE SCALE SWEEP OF FUNDING MEANS OR WHAT THE PRESIDENT PLANS TO CUT EXACTLY FROM CALIFORNIA. CNN IS REPORTING THE PRESIDENT HAS DIRECTED FEDERAL AGENCIES TO START IDENTIFYING GRANTS. THE ADMINISTRATION CAN WITHHOLD FROM THE STATE. GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE TELLS US THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROVIDES CALIFORNIA WITH ABOUT $170 BILLION IN GRANTS FOR A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS THAT RANGES FROM SCHOOL LUNCHES, UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION, RESEARCH AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS. FOR EXAMPLE, GOVERNOR NEWSOM POSTED ON X THIS AFTERNOON QUOTE, 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. AFTER THE GOVERNOR POSTED THIS, NEWSOM’S DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE SPOKESMAN, H.D. PALMER, SAT DOWN WITH ME FOR AN INTERVIEW. HERE’S WHAT PALMER HAD TO SAY ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON. SO THE GOVERNOR ALSO TWEETED THIS AFTERNOON, IN PART, WE PAY OVER $80 BILLION MORE IN TAXES THAN WE GET BACK. MAYBE IT’S TIME TO CUT THAT OFF AND THEN TAG THE PRESIDENT IN THIS POST ON X. I MEAN, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CALIFORNIA COULD LOGISTICALLY DO? I THINK THE GOVERNOR GOVERNOR, IN HIS TWEET WAS MAKING A VERY CLEAR POINT. THIS ISN’T A ONE WAY TRANSACTION. WE’VE GOT NEARLY 18 MILLION TAX RETURNS FILED IN CALIFORNIA, AS MUCH OR MANY MORE WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BECAUSE OF OUR WEALTH, BECAUSE OF OUR STRENGTH, BECAUSE OF OUR TECH BASED ECONOMY, WE CONTRIBUTE MIGHTILY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE NATION’S REVENUE SOURCE. SO WHAT THE GOVERNOR, I THINK, WAS SUGGESTING IN THIS TWEET AND MAKING IT VERY CLEAR, IS THAT YOU 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. DOES THE NEWSOM ADMINISTRATION HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT THESE SWEEPING FEDERAL CUTS COULD ENTAIL? IN A WORD, NONE. AND THAT’S BECAUSE THE ONLY THING THAT HAS COME FROM WASHINGTON ABOUT THIS SO FAR IS A LOT OF UNATTRIBUTED QUOTES AND STATEMENTS OF INTENT. BUT NO NUMBERS, NO SPREADSHEETS, NOTHING REAL THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY ANALYZE. SO AT THIS POINT, IT’S A LOT OF RHETORIC WITH NOT A LOT TO BACK IT UP. THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT THE ADMINISTRATION MAY NOT COME DOWN LATER TODAY, OR IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO PUT OUT SOMETHING THAT THEY THINK FULFILLS WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. I THINK THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER INNING IN A VERY LONG GAME THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. THE GOVERNOR AND ELECTED OFFICIALS, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, AMONG OTHERS, HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO BACK DOWN FROM OUR VALUES IF THERE’S A THREAT TO CALIFORNIA, WE’RE GOING TO STAND UP TO IT. NOW, WHEN I ASKED PALMER IF THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF YET ANOTHER LAWSUIT BETWEEN CALIFORNIA AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, HE NOTED, IT IS CONGRESS, NOT THE PRESIDENT, THAT HAS THE POWER TO DECIDE HOW MONEY MOVES. BUT THIS BLOCKED FUNDING COULD PRESENT YET ANOTHER FINANCIAL CHALLENGE FOR CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS ALREADY TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL IN THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THIS