There's "budget hawk things" and there's "burning down the university to make a point." He was offered deep cuts by the University itself: "Mr. Johnsen, fearing

There's "budget hawk things" and there's "burning down the university to make a point." He was offered deep cuts by the University itself: "Mr. Johnsen, fearing that the governor might not stomach the Legislature’s plan, met with Mr. Dunleavy in late May and quietly provided him with a written plan that he regarded as a drastic alternative: A $49 million reduction spread over several years, with significant cuts to personnel and “a reduced capacity to serve our students and our state.”" This was much more than the legislature passed and budget-hawkish enough for him to claim victory. Instead he just went nuclear and zeroed out $130 million with no warning. That's beyond ordinary budget hawkery and into batshit land.