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As the investigation expands, the spotlight will only grow brighter. The administration is not just looking for the “big fish” of multimillion-dollar fraud; they are looking for the systemic cracks in the foundation of state governance. Every minor discrepancy discovered in an audit can serve as a predicate for a deeper investigation into broader patterns of waste and non-compliance. This is a strategy of attrition, designed to wear down the resistance of blue-state officials through the sheer weight of administrative and legal pressure.
For states like California and New York, the stakes are existential. Their massive budgets are intricately woven with federal funding. A significant freeze or claw-back of funds could lead to immediate budget shortfalls, necessitating unpopular tax hikes or deep cuts to essential services. This financial reckoning forces a level of accountability that transcends election cycles. It changes the “math” of state governance, making the cost of resisting federal policy a tangible, line-item expense that voters will eventually feel in their daily lives.