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California Aid Conditional on $21 B Loan Repayment

5/20/2026

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Story summary
  • Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) introduced a bill that ties any new federal aid to California to repayment of its $21 billion COVID-era unemployment loan.
  • California, the only state yet to repay the loan, has forced employers to pay an extra $42 per employee in federal payroll taxes this year.
  • U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration will withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid funds while the Labor Department’s February strike team probes unemployment-insurance fraud.