Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill is floating a new way to push back against President Donald Trump's administration.
While speaking with comedian and New Jersey native Jon Stewart earlier this week, Sherrill called the idea of New Jersey withholding federal tax dollars a "good idea," adding, "I think about that all the time."
"I talk often about clawing back federal money," Sherrill said during an interview on "The Weekly Show" podcast released Friday. "I mean the easiest place to start with that is in the courts."
Sherrill didn't elaborate on what that would entail or how New Jersey could withhold federal funds. Still, the comments suggest she's prepared to use her governorship to challenge Trump directly.
A four-term Democratic congresswoman, Sherrill resigned from her seat in Congress on Thursday ahead of becoming New Jersey's 57th governor.
The idea, though, has yet to come to fruition -- and Newsom later told POLITICO that a plan would be difficult. Individuals and businesses, not states, pay taxes directly to the federal government.
"I would love to start reworking the federal taxation system," Sherrill said. "As I say, and I think people here in New Jersey agree, you know, if they're not going to run the programs, then what are we paying them for?"
"It's like, you know, you're paying us for a service, and they're not delivering, so let's stop paying for it," she added.
New Jersey pays more in taxes to the federal government than it receives in return, according to several recent studies.
A debate over federal funding became a major focus toward the end of the governor's race, after Trump announced last month he "terminated" the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel under the Hudson River amid the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown.
On the campaign trail, Sherrill slammed Trump over the surprising decision.
"That's not who I'm going to serve as your governor," Sherrill said, referring to the president. "I'm going to focus on serving the people of New Jersey. That has always been my north star, and that is what I'm going to continue to fight to do."
Stewart, who grew up in Lawrence Township, interviewed Sherrill alongside Virginia's Democratic Gov-Elect Abigail Spanberger.