California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa told Newsmax on Monday that California has already "philosophically" seceded from the United States in the way it is running up a more than $22 billion state deficit that totals more than many countries.
"I think they already have [seceded] philosophically because they're so out of touch," Issa said during "Eric Bolling The Balance" on Monday. "They're coming up with numbers [for reparations]. Those numbers have no basis in who was injured, who was denied 40 acres and a mule generation ago, but more importantly, they're doing it for a social statement. They're not doing with any realistic expectation they could accomplish it."
The Associated Press reported in March that a reparations task force estimated a statewide reparations program could cost $800 billion, 2.5 times the state's current $300 billion annual budget.
In addition to reparations, the state legislature is also now considering giving illegal migrants unemployment benefits.
California Globe reported May 16 that California state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-L.A., proposed Senate Bill 277 which would give "excluded workers" who could not qualify for federal, or state unemployment benefits due to their immigration status.
"Every day, undocumented immigrants contribute to California's economic prosperity in agriculture, construction, clothing and other industries," Durazo said in the report. "California is set to be the world's fourth-largest economy in large part thanks to immigrant labor, yet immigrants continue to be shut out from California's economic success due to unjust exclusions from the safety net. That is why I am authoring SB 227, the Safety Net for All Workers Act. California must include a life-saving unemployment benefits program for these workers."
Issa, however, said the state's Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is already looking for the federal government to "backfill" its current deficit estimated at $31.5 billion, the way it did for states during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They simply don't have the money," Issa said. "As a matter of fact, my governor is complaining that he needs more federal dollars to backfill his deficit at a time when he's running up new bills."
He said the high taxation rates in the state means many people are paying 50-60% of their income in taxes, which is "killing" the state.
"We pay over half of our money to the government before we pay sales tax, and other incidentals, and it's killing us," he said. "On top of that, we have a flood of people coming in that don't match the job shortages, so that's running up the unemployment."
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