Democratic lawmakers have introduced the novel and untested approach in at least four states.

The novel and untested approach has been introduced by Democratic lawmakers in at least four states.

Democratic legislators mostly in blue states are attempting to fight back against Donald Trump’s efforts to withhold funding from their states with bills that aim to give the federal government a taste of its own medicine.

The novel and untested approach — so far introduced in Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin — would essentially allow states to withhold federal payments if lawmakers determine the federal government is delinquent in funding owed to them. Democrats in Washington state said they are in the process of drafting a similar measure.

These bills still have a long way to go before becoming law, and legal experts said they would face obstacles. But they mark the latest efforts by Democrats at the state level to counter what they say is a massive overreach by the Trump administration to cease providing federal funding for an array of programs that have helped states pay for health care, food assistance and environmental protections.

  • leadore@lemmy.world
    3·
    18 hours ago

    I was wondering about that, too. The article says

    Payments available for withholding include the federal taxes collected from the paychecks of state employees, as well as grant payments owed back to the federal government.

    I have no idea how much that would add up to, and I wonder if the Feds would be able to go after individual employees for not having received the federal taxes they owe, leaving it to the employees to sue the State to reimburse them for the amount that was withheld.

    The second one, grant payments owed back, would be a limited amount since the Feds would probably retaliate by cutting off future grant funding. Overall it doesn’t seem like a workable strategy.

    • BadmanDan@lemmy.world
      1·
      13 hours ago

      No, none of this is possible because it violates supremacy law in every way imaginable (unfortunately). Even if the states withheld or delayed payments, the courts will almost always side with the federal government when it comes to taxes, even if said federal government is LITERALLY trying to do the same to the states.

      We’d need rogue courts too