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Fact check: What federal programs provide the most funding to California that could be at risk?
1. Summary of the results
The largest federal funding programs at risk in California include:
- Medicaid (Medi-Cal): Representing 65.7% of federal funds flowing through the state budget [1]
- Education funding, including:
Title I funding ($2.1 billion annually) [2]
School meal aid ($363 million for L.A. Unified) [2]
Disability education funding ($1.33 billion) [2]
K-12 public school funding ($8 billion, 7% of their budget) [3]
- University Research Grants, including:
$161 million from Health and Human Services
$114 million from the Department of Education [4]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several crucial contextual elements are missing from the original question:
- The total federal funding at stake is approximately $170 billion, representing 34.6% of California's 2025-26 state budget [1]
- Some cuts have already been implemented:
High-speed rail funding ($4 billion cut) [3]
Flood prevention funding ($126.4 million cut) [5]
- The cuts are being linked to specific policy disputes:
Transgender athlete participation policies [2]
DEI programs (with over 60 universities under investigation) [4]
Perceived campus antisemitism [5]
**3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement**
The original question oversimplifies a complex situation. Several key factors should be considered:
Political Context: The cuts are being proposed by Republican leadership and the Trump administration [6], allegedly to offset tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations [6]
- Multiple Stakeholders: The cuts would affect various groups:
Low-income individuals (healthcare and food assistance) [3]
Students (from K-12 to university level)
Research institutions and their partners [4]
Broader Impact: The cuts could exceed $10 billion per year [1], significantly affecting not just specific programs but entire public service systems and the state's ability to provide essential services [6]