“As a Tennessean, not having to have my federal taxes go to California is a relief”
CA’s net overage of Fed taxes pays Tennessee’s net under payment.
Tennessee receives more in Federal expenditures than it pays in taxes. CA pays more in Fed taxes than it receives in expenditures.
Tenn has never subsidized CA.
With individual red vs. blue state comparisons this is true. But I'm thinking that if California residents must pay more federal income taxes because of the elimination of some SALT deductions, then whole groups of states WERE subsidizing California and others. Those federal income tax dollars were made up somewhere before California residents had to pay them.