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, striking a decisive blow against former Vice President Kamala Harris and her communist, socialist Democratic Party.
Yet when chaos agent Trump, ensconced in the White House once again, tried to block federal disbursements to all 50 states on Tuesday, guess who was suddenly embracing government handouts?
West Virginians voted for Trump at a whopping 70-28 margin. You’d think Mountain State denizens, more than anyone, would champion the ethos of self-reliance and pulling up their bootstraps. But 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 worry though, he also thinks “President Trump is going to be an amazing president.”
The ass-kissing only ramped up from there.
“I do think what President Trump is trying to do generally is correct,” Morrisey said. “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 yes, the federal government spends too much money. But …
“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 percent.
They hate socialism, but … 50% of West Virginia’s budget is subsidized by the rest of the country, and really, by blue states—specifically California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington.
West Virginia’s high federal spending was buttressed for years by ostensibly Democratic former Sen. Joe Manchin. He knew how to make it rain federal dollars for his constituents, and his absence will cost the state billions now that he’s retired.
Good.
If West Virginians want federal help, they can start voting for Democrats again. Otherwise, they can enjoy economic ruin in exchange for Trump and the GOP’s “only two genders” propaganda.
Down in the bayou, Louisianans voted for Trump 60-38, clearly agreeing with his plan to cut trillions from the federal budget. But when Trump actually made a move to do just that by announcing the draconian spending freeze, state officials sang a different tune.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, along with several other GOP leaders, issued a statement 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 threat to the state’s finances if they’re cut off from the federal taxpayer dole.
Of course, they opened the statement 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.” Yet few states are more dependent on outside taxpayers than Louisiana.
While 20% of Americans are on Medicaid, that number is 40% in Louisiana. A startling 63% of all baby deliveries in the Pelican State are paid for by Medicaid, so take that, “pro-life” advocates. Indeed, Louisiana is ranked the seventh most federally dependent state in the country, according to a WalletHub analysis. (West Virginia is ranked fourth.) And according to Pew, in 2022, Louisiana was the state with the highest percent of revenue from the federal government, at 50.5%.
Those Louisiana Republicans aren’t serious about “cutting government waste” and blah blah blah. Actually doing what Trump’s proposing would decimate their state. Like all Republicans, they think the waste and inefficiencies lay elsewhere, and their federal funding largesse is all well-deserved. And maybe it is! But regular voters in the state need to be cognizant about what they’re voting for.
Bottom line: If Louisianans want those federal dollars, they can start voting Democratic.
As the shockwaves from Trump’s funding freeze announcement reverberated across the country, most red-state Republican governors and legislators kept their mouths shut, likely quietly rooting for the swift Democratic lawsuits that halted Trump’s scheme. But this only delays the Trump cabal’s efforts to hack away at “woke” programs they don’t like.
It’s widely known that these cuts Trump is fixated on will affect Republican states and voters disproportionately. But a new round of billionaire tax cuts won’t pay for themselves, and congressional Republicans have made that their top priority. Those craven lawmakers have certainly made it clear that Medicaid and other programs that benefit poorer Americans are something they’re happy to sacrifice.
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