Federal funding plays a significant role in supporting various state responsibilities, such as maintaining state highways and managing education systems. While states should typically oversee these responsibilities autonomously, federal funds are often accompanied by specific conditions. For example, the national 55mph speed limit and the increase of the drinking age to 21 were implemented through federal pressure, where Washington leveraged the potential withholding of federal highway funds to ensure state compliance.

Recently, the Trump administration has expressed intentions to withdraw substantial federal funding from California for a different reason. This action is largely driven by California’s refusal to comply with the administration’s Title IX guidelines, which concern the participation of boys in girls’ sports. Reports indicate that multiple sources, as cited by CNN, suggest that this plan is actively progressing.

The administration is reportedly preparing to terminate a significant portion of federal funding allocated to California. Based on information from various sources, this action could commence as early as Friday.

Agencies are being told to start identifying grants the administration can withhold from California. On Capitol Hill, at least one committee was told recently by a whistleblower that all research grants to the state were going to be cancelled, according to one of the sources familiar with the matter.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

California has been fooling around. Now they’re finding out. There will doubtless be legal battles over all this, but in the “transgender athletes” issue that is at the heart of a lot of this, California is on the wrong side of a 95-5 issue. What’s more, California’s impeccably coiffed Governor Newsom is betting his annual Brylcreem budget that he can finesse that issue well enough to remain popular in California while positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run. 

That’s probably not going to work.

President Donald Trump has long made Democratic-led California a target.

Just last month, he threatened to withhold federal funding from California over a transgender athlete’s participation in a sporting event — the latest example of the president trying to use funding as leverage to enact his agenda. The administration recently cut $126.4 million in flood prevention funding projects, and Trump repeatedly went after the state’s handling of devastating wildfires earlier this year. The president and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have also publicly feuded for years.

Higher education in the state could be hit hard by Trump’s move. GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California, who said he was unaware of the imminent grant cancellations, told CNN he recently met with university representatives who were concerned about the future of their funding.

They should be concerned. Maybe those university representatives should be looking closer to home for the solution to this problem; maybe, say, having a chat with local school boards.