West Virginia is one the nation’s most reliably Republican states, as is Louisiana. Voters there overwhelmingly pulled the lever for Donald Trump in 2024, hanging a decisive blow towards former Vice President Kamala Harris and her communist, socialist Democratic Get together.
But when chaos agent Trump, ensconced within the White Home as soon as once more, tried to dam federal disbursements to all 50 states on Tuesday, guess who was instantly embracing authorities handouts?
West Virginians voted for Trump at a whopping 70-28 margin. You’d assume Mountain State denizens, greater than anybody, would champion the ethos of self-reliance and pulling up their bootstraps. However nope.
“[West Virginia Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey] says his plan is to communicate with the Trump administration on how these freezes could impact federal funding West Virginians rely on for a variety of services and programs,” reported WBOY. Don’t fear although, he additionally thinks “President Trump is going to be an amazing president.”
The ass-kissing solely ramped up from there.
“I do think what President Trump is trying to do generally is correct,” Morrisey stated. “The federal government, and quite frankly, the state government is operating way beyond its means, right? So you have, finally, leadership in Washington, and you have leadership here in Charleston. I’m going to work just like President Trump to tackle these issues and be transparent.”
Ah sure, the federal authorities spends an excessive amount of cash. However …
“According to Morrisey, close to 50% of the nearly $19.9 billion West Virginia aggregate spending budget comes through federal dollars such as IGTs and transfers of some sort,” WBOY reported.
Fifty p.c.
They hate socialism, however … 50% of West Virginia’s price range is sponsored by the remainder of the nation, and actually, by blue states—particularly California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington.
West Virginia’s excessive federal spending was buttressed for years by ostensibly Democratic former Sen. Joe Manchin. He knew how one can make it rain federal {dollars} for his constituents, and his absence will value the state billions now that he’s retired.
Good.
If West Virginians need federal assist, they will begin voting for Democrats once more. In any other case, they will get pleasure from financial smash in alternate for Trump and the GOP’s “only two genders” propaganda.
Down within the bayou, Louisianans voted for Trump 60-38, clearly agreeing together with his plan to chop trillions from the federal price range. However when Trump truly made a transfer to just do that by saying the draconian spending freeze, state officers sang a special tune.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, together with a number of different GOP leaders, issued a assertion calling for Trump to “develop a responsible runway to untangle us from any unnecessary and egregious policies without jeopardizing the financial stability of the state.” What the diplomatic wording couldn’t betray was the menace to the state’s funds in the event that they’re reduce off from the federal taxpayer dole.
In fact, they opened the assertion by saying, “President Trump was elected on a mandate to cut government waste and increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar, a goal we whole heartedly embrace.” But few states are extra depending on outdoors taxpayers than Louisiana.
Whereas 20% of Individuals are on Medicaid, that quantity is 40% in Louisiana. A startling 63% of all child deliveries within the Pelican State are paid for by Medicaid, so take that, “pro-life” advocates. Certainly, Louisiana is ranked the seventh most federally dependent state within the nation, in keeping with a WalletHub evaluation. (West Virginia is ranked fourth.) And in keeping with Pew, in 2022, Louisiana was the state with the best p.c of income from the federal authorities, at 50.5%.
These Louisiana Republicans aren’t critical about “cutting government waste” and blah blah blah. Truly doing what Trump’s proposing would decimate their state. Like all Republicans, they assume the waste and inefficiencies lay elsewhere, and their federal funding largesse is all well-deserved. And possibly it’s! However common voters within the state have to be cognizant about what they’re voting for.
Backside line: If Louisianans need these federal {dollars}, they will begin voting Democratic.
Because the shockwaves from Trump’s funding freeze announcement reverberated throughout the nation, most red-state Republican governors and legislators saved their mouths shut, probably quietly rooting for the swift Democratic lawsuits that halted Trump’s scheme. However this solely delays the Trump cabal’s efforts to hack away at “woke” applications they don’t like.
It’s broadly identified that these cuts Trump is fixated on will have an effect on Republican states and voters disproportionately. However a brand new spherical of billionaire tax cuts gained’t pay for themselves, and congressional Republicans have made that their high precedence. These craven lawmakers have actually made it clear that Medicaid and different applications that profit poorer Individuals are one thing they’re completely satisfied to sacrifice.
