this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2025
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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.

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[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 42 points 2 days ago (3 children)

This sounds like dissolving the union with extra steps ngl

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 37 points 2 days ago

And?

Blue states can only continue supporting red states that bite the hand that feeds for so long.

And in this case, biting the hand that feeds involves removing human rights.

So yeah. It's time to balkanize. Blue states will be fine. Red states can suffer and die for supporting a traitor and his treasonous party.

[–] WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works 29 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Honestly, we need to dissolve the union at this point. It's just common sense.

Look, it's time for a reality check. When a nation's political culture becomes this dysfunctional, there's no bringing it back, not without some massive bloody civil war that leaves millions dead. What they don't teach you in school is that every written law or constitution is ultimately meaningless. The Constitution does not enforce itself and neither does any law. They all require a certain amount of good-faith interpretation. It is always possible to come up with a strained bad-faith interpretation of any law that will allow you to do whatever you want. But in a healthy political system, this doesn't happen. Both sides practice restraint and realize that their overreach will be answered by overreach on the other side.

But if you lose that? The nation is effectively shattered. The United States, as a functioning democracy, is already dead. It's zombie corpse is just limping along. The president is openly defying the laws passed by Congress. The Supreme Court is openly corrupt, openly partisan, and ignoring the plain language of the constitution. It's all just might makes right now, and both parties view the other as fundamentally wicked and illegitimate.

Once your politics have decayed this much, there is no bringing it back. We need to peacefully dissolve the United States. Will it be easy? No. But we also shouldn't let one of our core national character flaws - American exceptionalism, blind us to the possibilities that exist. Plenty of nations have peacefully dissolved before. And they find ways to negotiate the hard issues like dividing assets, debts, obligations, military forces, etc. This has been done before, and it can be done again.

When this comes up, the "umm aktually" crowd also comes out of the woodwork. They'll point out that there's no actual constitutional mechanism to do this. These people are blind or have been asleep the last six months. You would think they would learn by now that all it takes to do something is that there not be anyone there to stop you.

We should grant all 50 states full independence. Just disband the existing federal government entirely. Let the states then come back together in whatever new nation or nations they want to form. How can this be done legally? Simple. Someone just needs to run for president on the platform of national dissolution, saying, "I'll grant all 50 states independence. I'll fire every federal employee, and I will not use any military force to stop all the states from seceding." And then they get elected and simply do that. Congress or SCOTUS can complain all they want; it won't matter. That candidate if elected would have an overwhelming political mandate, and there would be no way to stop them. Some may whine that it's unconstitutional, but who cares? It's pretty obvious by now that the Constitution is broken, obsolete, and no longer worth respecting. We're walking away from that broken obsolete piece of trash. We can do better.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

I'm in.

Because you're right. Once Pandora's Box is open, that's it.

The Constitution has been nullified by not being adhered to. Our branches and Congress have ceded their power to what is effectively a king. Our Supreme Court justices have been proven to have taken bribes and are passing rulings completely in opposition to the Constitution without providing reasoning. The bar for president has been lowered to gutter-level. And a significant portion of our populace has been radicalized by lies from propaganda networks.

It's over. There is no coming back from this. You can't legislate your way back to reality because we'll never have the numbers necessary in Congress to make it happen and the president has been given the powers of a king.

It's balkanization for the Un-united States or total collapse across the board as we all cling to each other as we drown. I'm voting for balkanization.

I know it's something that's going to take people a lot of time to wrap their minds around, but the United States as we've always known it is over. This is what happens when you let conservatives have too much power.

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[–] PTSDwarrior@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don’t want to be in a union ruled by a mad king. BTW, I joined the California National Party, check them out: Vote CNP.

They are running a candidate for the California governor’s election next year. California Democrats are weak AF, and have no idea that the mad king is about to rape them. CNP wants California to peacefully leave the union, but know that it may not be so peaceful.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (3 children)

CNP wants California to peacefully leave the union, but know that it may not be so peaceful.

California needs to create and fund a state militia. We need to convince Oregon and Washington to do the same and then have those militias train and work together.

The Constitution allows for militias. Not that the Constitution matters anymore. So we should do it anyway.

[–] PTSDwarrior@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I have been trying to convey that to more senior party members. They take their inspiration from the Scottish National Party, which has worked nonviolently to regain some form of autonomy. I have said though that we may need to consider the Irish way. But even they went the peaceful route in the end, not having gained much.

My thought is America is a warmongering nation. It “won” the west that way, and it will not easily give up the west without murdering millions of people. They will definitely attempt a genocide of Natives, Latinos and Blacks that live in the west coast states.

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As an Englishman, the IRA were fairly critical to the political results. They kept the UK government from running roughshod over the Irish political parties.

The IRA proved they were willing to cross critical lines (bombs aimed at large scale civilian damage on English soil etc). They also demonstrated restraint. They often provided warnings ahead of time. They focused on disruption not casualties. The underlying threat was clear however. If you (UK government) escalate too far, it's simple to switch from a bomb aimed at destroying a high street of shops, to one aimed at killing a high street of Christmas shoppers.

The end result was that Irish politics stayed in the public eye, and the government took the safer path of negotiating in good faith. No-one was particularly happy with the results, but no-one was excessively unhappy with them either. Often the best you can hope for.

In short, the credible threat is required to keep all parties honest. Most smart governments will see an escalating trail of protests as part of that. Unfortunately, the current US leadership doesn't seem that smart.

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[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Honestly, that's probably the most effective thing that can be done.

In business, where it really hurts, is in the money. Hit them where it really matters.

[–] unphazed@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

If a company becomes too large to manage and kits subsidiaries make individual profits, some making profit and others at a loss, you divest. You sell off the crap companies. Makes sense to me. They say Trump wants to run the US like a business, right?

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[–] ansiz@lemmy.world 38 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sounds like the beginnings of a future civil war if those states actually follow through. It sounds like the right move though, I hope a bunch of blue states follow up on this!

[–] zebidiah@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I hope a bunch of fema deprived red states follow up on this!

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Virginia: We can play this game too, democrats! We're keeping our $100B to ourselves this year! Can we still get that $200B you send us each year though?

[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago

States rights have and always will be a double edged sword. Usually it's a non issue because at worst you have representation. Sadly it seems like ours has gone missing now and we all need to stop what we are doing and go find it. Violently if necessary but hopefully as a last resort. Or maybe just 2nd place.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 days ago

Laws not mattering anymore works both ways.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 208 points 3 days ago (6 children)

and legal experts said they would face obstacles.

Do they? Those at the top of government aren't following the rules anymore. Why should states still be bound to do so?

[–] tdawg@lemmy.world 55 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Bc that's the difference between these groups. One believes in the law and what it means. The other doesnt

So while yes, it would be great to see the Dems play hardball they can't without failing to uphold what they believe is right

Is it naive? Yeah probably. Will it be enough? Probably not

But going against the fed in a way that is considered "illegal" could be seen as declaring civil war. And while the fed can't live without it's taxes it can bomb you to hell if provoked

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 101 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

could be seen as declaring civil war.

To anyone paying attention, we've been in a cold civil war since at least 2016, if not before that.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/04/leader-of-the-pro-trump-project-2025-suggests-there-will-be-a-new-american-revolution-00166583

“We ought to be really encouraged by what happened yesterday, and in spite of all of the injustice — which of course friends and audience of this show, of our friend Steve, know — we are going to prevail,” Mr. Roberts said, alluding to Mr. Bannon’s imprisonment.

He went on to say that “the radical left” was “apoplectic” because “our side is winning” and said, “And so I come full circle in this response and just want to encourage you with some substance that we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.

This is Kevin D. Roberts of the Heritage Foundation. Point one is that he promotes the idea that the second American Revolution will be "bloodless" only if the left allows it to be, and point two is he describes it as something that is in the process of happening. That means it has already started and has been in motion.

We didn't fire the first shot of the war here and I'm sick and fucking tired of the people acting like us pushing back is "declaring civil war." No the fuck it isn't they declared war on us decades ago now. What a fucking joke. This is classic DARVO, Deny Attack Reverse Victim and Offender. It turns the victims of a cold civil war into the aggressors when the actual aggressors literally passing bills that will fucking cause institutional social murder at a grand scale. It's abuser tactics, plain and simple, at a national level.

Please don't play into this false narrative, the civil war is on, us fighting back isn't declaring it. Please stop letting liars and abusers dictate the rules of reality and what we accept as truth. You're letting their lies set the bounds for how we operate and it's that kind of bullshit that got us here in the first place. Stop giving them deference and treating their falsehoods as truths.

EDIT: Trump literally just suggested if Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York City that he will withhold federal funds. We didn't start this war. Any suggestion otherwise is bullshit.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-nyc-mayor-mamdani-funding-b2779141.html

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 49 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Point one is that he promotes the idea that the second American Revolution will be "bloodless" only if the left allows it to be

Fuck this asshole. "It won't hurt if you don't resist" isn't a civil war, it's a hostile coup led by jackboot-supported fascists.

It's literally also how abusers speak to their abused spouses. "Look what you made me do to you."

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[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 3 days ago

I don't know about you but I'm sick of being on the team that follows the rules and loses to the criminals that completely ignore the rules.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (12 children)

But going against the fed in a way that is considered “illegal” could be seen as declaring civil war. And while the fed can’t live without it’s taxes it can bomb you to hell if provoked

Not making a payment is seen as civil war? If its already at that point we're already done.

However, realistically not making a payment won't earn you bombs. It might earn guns though. What would that look like if a state withheld payment? Would a fed law enforcer with a gun go into an office, up to some state employee sitting an a cube responsible for making money transfers as part of their work, and have the gun in their face or threatening arrest if they don't make the payment to the fed? Would it instead be indictments of state government officials, and perhaps jailing them? Who would they jail? The Governor that signed the bill into law? The state legislature for putting the measure forward?

When high level state officials or low level state office workers start getting arrested, that moves the game to a different level. That escalation may have knock on effects on the citizenry. This would be especially true if the reason the state would be withholding the payment from the fed would be for cutting of services from the fed.

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[–] VetOfTheSeas@discuss.online 103 points 3 days ago

Let those welfare queen red states pull themselves up by their own bootstrap

[–] jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Just get divorced already.

[–] match@pawb.social 4 points 2 days ago

Nawh we're gonna do a Taiwan-style One America policy

[–] Sunflier@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Wait wait wait! Lemme get on to the other side of the line so I can live in a blue state. Just 3 more months!

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

California needs to get on this

[–] Lucelu2@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 days ago

Honestly, states can change their rules... and enshrine and encourage/incentivise communal ownerships... like Co-ops, B-Corps, etc. in which there is not actual US currency involved but state sponsored services provided with credits (like HC, Agriculture) -- people could exchanged things and labor for those credits. Those who are disabled would fall under a social safety net and do some things that they are able to do to acquire credits but on a different level and our collective labor should cover our vulnerable and disabled of every age.

[–] JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 94 points 3 days ago

Please do this.

[–] frazw@lemmy.world 75 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Is it not simply a matter of contract anyway? The states agree to pay the federal government in exchange for the security and cooperation that the federation brings. If the federal government is no longer holding up it's end of that agreement no matter the reason, why should the States be obligated to remain in that agreement?

[–] Dragomus@lemmy.world 36 points 3 days ago

I also see it as an honest matter of balance ... what they're budgettary short on from not receiving anymore from the government they must fill from own means that will be deducted from outgoing federal contributions.

For example Fema is to be dismantled and states need to make their own local disaster funds, meaning less budget to go to the federal government...

Ofcourse this will be a sour pill for the maga government and they'll use the SC to thwart it and enforce full payments to the federal government if they can get away with it.

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[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 47 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (10 children)

Secede. Whatever happens in the US after this administration, there is no repairing the damage that has been done without violence. There is no restoring the Constitution, no repairing the rule of law, no restoration of democracy, no restoring affordable living, no curbing the power of billionaire oligarchs, no path to freedom, liberty, or sanity.

Escape is the only option that has a chance at minimizing bloodshed. Individual escape by emigrating, but what countries would want American expats now? so many are following the US’c corrupt lead. Special privileges for the rich, slavery for the serfdom.

Collective escape via secession and the creation of new independent countries is the only sane path forward now. Alternatively annexation could work, but I don’t see Canada or Mexico going out of their way to save Americans, for reasons that should be obvious.

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[–] BadmanDan@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is an economic nightmare

[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 35 points 3 days ago

That's usually what happens when a political nightmare assumes one of the most powerful offices on the planet

[–] Karrion409@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I would be interested in seeing if this is actually a viable strategy for more wealthy states such as illinois and california because I'm getting tired of the borderline suicidal "they go low, we go high" rhetoric. I know theres things in place to make sure it can't be done but the current admin isn't playing by the rules and we can't win if we keep trying to follow them. We need to start playing hardball with these clowns.

[–] criss_cross@lemmy.world 21 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I’m sure Cali is getting sick of paying 80 billion more than they’re supposed to get back, only to have what you get back not even come to you.

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[–] lorski@sopuli.xyz 21 points 3 days ago

Might be the only way to stop him/gop

[–] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago

Trump notoriously doesn't pay his bills after all.

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago

I love it. We just had a Supreme Court ruling that further anointed Trump as a king that can do what he wants, and yet the first thing everybody goes to in one of these articles is that the states can just take it to the courts and this time, THIS TIME the courts will stop him! It's not fair! What Trump is doing is illegal and unconstitutional!

No fucking shit it's unconstitutional. But guess what? The Constitution is dead. The Supreme Court has already hand-waved away half of the amendments, and the people in charge of enforcing the rest have already repeatedly said they weren't going to. They have repeatedly said that Trump can basically do whatever he wants, and Congress has given him their blessing. So what the fuck do you think the courts are going to be able to do to stop this? And what the fuck makes you think the Supreme Court would even allow it?

If states started seriously threatening to withhold federal payments, Trump would just send in the National guard. Or the military. And before the "But that would trigger civil war!!!!!", it ain't triggering shit. Trump just rolled his troops into downtown LA and started yanking citizens off the streets while Stephen Miller literally went on Twitter and told Newsom "You have no say in this, we are in control, and federal law will be enforced". And Newsom stood there and took it like a cuck. There was no violent rebellion, no resistance to the military takeover of LA. They're still there.

The courts are not going to save us. They've just been stripped of whatever ability they had to even try. I mean, should the states at least try to go through the courts? Yeah. Not that it'll matter much because the Supreme Court will just overturn any lower court decision anyway and either order the states to pay or allow Trump to seize the funds. But in the long run, it'll be a symbolic gesture of resistance as they either bend the knee and make the payments or have the payments taken from them.

Until violent rebellion happens, this is the way it is now. Trump has closed off all other viable avenues. And good luck organizing any kind of rebellion without having your group be infiltrated and everyone shipped off to some 3rd world country on treason charges long before it hits critical mass or manages to accomplish anything.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 33 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Otherwise known as "The collapse of the USA".

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[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 24 points 3 days ago

I’ve been saying we need to do this since the ass won the election. Nice to see my state finally listened.

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