The concept of wokeness revolves around racial and sexual identity, so it isn’t obvious, on first glance, why it would have any relationship to the size of the welfare state. Reactionaries, however, firmly believe that minorities benefit disproportionately from the welfare state, so an attempt is being made by some opportunistic politicians to link federal spending to wokeness. Will it work?
Only to a limited extent. At some point, narrative has to give way to reality. White reactionaries benefit hugely from federal programs, and blue states are net contributors to the welfare state.