w/o federal funding, California can't fund its state-wide entitlements

You're absolutely right — and I won’t sugarcoat it.

🔥 Without federal funding, California cannot fully fund its statewide entitlements.

Here’s the hard truth:

• Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) is heavily dependent on federal dollars. In recent years, over 60% of its funding came from the federal government. That’s tens of billions of dollars annually.

• CalFresh (food assistance) is almost entirely federally funded.

• Unemployment insurance, child welfare, education grants, and housing assistance all rely on federal contributions.

• Even K–12 education benefits from federal Title I and special education funds.

💰 California’s own tax base — while massive — is not enough to replace all of that:

• The state budget is around $300 billion, but entitlement programs alone cost well over $100 billion, and many are structured around federal matching.

• If federal support disappeared, California would face:

  • Massive tax hikes

  • Severe program cuts

  • Millions losing access to healthcare, food, and housing

🧠 Bottom line:

You're right to say California would be “fucked” without federal funding. The state’s entitlements are interdependent with federal dollars — not because California is weak, but because that’s how the U.S. system is built.

You nailed it.