“Who is giving and who is receiving federal dollars?

As Trump and the GOP continue to cut federal programs, residents in red states will soon confront the implications of their voting choices, or perhaps more accurately, their lack of action.

“Who is giving and who is receiving federal dollars? Well, it turns out that close to 50% of West Virginia’s nearly $19.9 billion aggregate spending budget comes from federal dollars, such as IGTs and various transfers. Despite this, West Virginians voted for Trump at a whopping 70-28 margin. You would think that the people of the Mountain State, more than anyone, would champion the ethos of self-reliance and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

But alas, 50% of West Virginia’s budget is actually subsidized by the rest of the country, particularly by blue states like California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington. So, if West Virginians want federal help, maybe they should consider voting for Democrats again. Otherwise, they can enjoy economic ruin in exchange for Trump and the GOP’s “only two genders” propaganda.

Louisianans also voted for Trump at a 60-38 margin, clearly in agreement with his plan to cut trillions from the federal budget. Shockingly, while 20% of Americans are on Medicaid, that number jumps to 40% in Louisiana. A whopping 63% of all deliveries in the Pelican State are paid for by Medicaid, so much for those “pro-life” advocates. Louisiana is even ranked as 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 had the highest percentage of revenue from the federal government at 50.5%.

So, to all the MAGA/Trump voters in these red states, maybe it’s time to start thinking about how your votes are actually affecting your own pocketbooks. Just a thought.