A small problem with this idea is that the Constitution has a pretty specific Section on the matter:
Article IV Section Section 3
1: New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within theJurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
If you are just going to shit your money down the toilet, just give it to me. I can find something useful to do with it.
Extra bonus to Reuters that didn’t even mention the Constitution in the article at all.