CA doesn’t send anything to the Feds, CA’s taxpayers do. CA’s taxpayers get to deduct our ridiculously high income taxes from their federal returns, which I’d bet isn’t factored into that dollars sent vs returned. It essentially masks ~35% of the state income tax burden by returning it off the top of the taxpayers federal tax liability.
You’re right (semantics). It is our money they send. Even with being able to deduct the high state taxes, CA is not a dependent state as someone above stated. That ratio will likely rise under this new tax plan. This is redistribution and the 46% bracket should make it even less supportable by conservatives.