It seems like this issue keeps coming around after every election; the side that loses calls for a national divorce, that is, or just for certain states to leave the union. In the latest such example, following the Republican wins in the 2024 election, New York state Senator, Liz Krueger, a Democrat from New York City, is proposing that the state of New York secede from the Union – and join Canada.
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Yeah, that’s not happening.
New York state legislators have hinted at using unusual tactics to combat the incoming Trump administration, including holding back federal taxes and leaving the United States to join Canada.
State Sen. Liz Krueger, a prominent Democrat from New York City who is also the chairwoman of the state Senate Finance Committee, proposed the ideas as state Democrats only have weeks to counter President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office.
Krueger believes such thinking is warranted.
“It’s not unreasonable to think outside of the box,” Krueger told Politico.
Were this a television documentary, this would be the point where the narrator would chime in, “It was unreasonable to think outside the box.” The thing about this box is, for all its troubles, it’s still a pretty good box and a better one than the box to our north.
But the fun bit is the reason that Senator Krueger wants to secede.
While New York becoming a Canadian province could be a fairytale ending for Krueger, the state withholding federal taxes is only slightly more likely. The state senator hinted at such an idea if Trump chooses to send less federal funding to New York, something he has suggested if some cities won’t work with federal immigration authorities.
Trump’s “border czar,” former ICE Director Tom Homan, has put Trump’s previous threat into more concrete terms, saying he will block federal funding for states that don’t cooperate.
“That’s going to happen. I guarantee you,” Homan said.
A complete block of federal funding would leave New York $85 billion in the hole. As Krueger suggested, they could make up those funds by sending less in the hundreds of billions of tax dollars it receives.
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This isn’t a fight that Senator Kruger can win. New Yorkers are not going to up and leave for Canada over illegal immigrants. Granted, if one looks at it strategically, the Republican should encourage New York in this, especially since Senator Krueger is talking about taking Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont along for the ride. The removal of New York’s electoral votes would swing presidential elections to the right, and removing these states would shift the balance of Congress, as well.
Maybe Senator Krueger can talk California into going along?
Honestly, though, this is an idea that’s going nowhere.
See Related: New Hampshire Takes a Second Bat at Legislation to Secede From the United States
Post-Election, Red Rural Counties Are Once Again Talking About Splitting off From Blue States
But it is illustrative to see the lengths to which Trump Derangement Syndrome drives people. This New York politician is literally advocating for breaking states away from the Union because Tom Homan is stating that he will enforce the law – namely, immigration laws – laws that are in the legitimate enforcement portfolio of the federal government’s Executive Branch, who as of January 20th, will be headed up by – you guessed it – Donald Trump.
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Senator Krueger is willing to do this to protect people who are not in the country legally, and who are costing the taxpayers of New York state and New York City millions of dollars.
That’s nuts.
