Democrats Accuse Gavin Newsom of Trump-like Policies in New Budget Proposal

In a recent post on X, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom declared victory over Trump and Republicans after unveiling what he described as a “balanced budget.”

“California just released a balanced budget that wipes out the deficit this year AND next — while protecting health care and safety nets,” Newsom crowed. “Meanwhile, Trump ADDED $2.4 TRILLION to the federal deficit with his “Big Beautiful Betrayal.” Republicans ruin budgets. Democrats balance them.”

However, fellow liberals have quickly pointed out that in trying to balance the budget, Newsom has backpedaled on his previous promises and suggested many Trump-like proposals.

Newsom promised that the budget plan, dubbed the “May Revision,” would bless California “with transformative investments in child care, schools, higher education, public safety, healthcare, housing, clean energy, new businesses, and the protection of our state’s natural resources.”

However, leftists have pushed back on the governor, pointing out that the plan relies on many key spending cuts.

The California School Boards Association and various teachers’ unions staged a protest at the Capitol in response to proposed education cuts in the bill. 

Debra Schade, president of the California School Boards Association, said that the school funding that Newsom plans to cut is mandated by law and is not “a suggestion that can be discarded when it becomes inconvenient for policymakers.”

This draws some ironic parallels to the time Newsom’s administration filed a lawsuit against Trump for his “unlawful decision to terminate $1.2 billion in funding for congressionally mandated energy and infrastructure programs.”

Meanwhile, Newsom has also faced blowback from the Left after scaling back parts of his earlier promise to expand Medi-Cal benefits for illegal immigrants. This has led leftists to protest and some Democrats to compare Newsom to Trump and ICE.

“These are the kinds of actions we would expect from a federal government that scapegoats immigrants and sends violent ICE forces to terrorize our community,” Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, said. “Instead, these proposals were made by our own governor in a state that claims to value immigrant communities. We know California is better than this.”

Newsom has had a track record of fiscal mismanagement, turning California’s $97.5 billion surplus in 2022 to a $44.9 billion deficit by 2024.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office stated that the balanced budget proposal not only requires spending cuts but also draws from emergency funds, internal funding changes, and accounting maneuvers. 

Because of this, the office warned that the “underlying budget condition is not sound,” even after Newsom’s balanced budget plan.

The California State Legislature must vote on and pass a budget proposal by June 15, per the state constitution.