Federal Funding Cut for California’s High-Speed Rail Project
Federal officials, including President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, have announced the end of federal funding for Governor Gavin Newsom’s high-speed rail project in California.
The Trump administration is taking steps to terminate the remaining $4 billion in federal funds allocated to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This money was originally intended for Newsom’s ambitious train project.
The initiative was first approved in 2008, with an estimated cost of $33 billion aimed at creating an 800-mile rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, initially projected for completion by 2020. However, costs have now soared to over $100 billion, and not a single track has been laid after 16 years of claimed preparations.
Currently, the focus has shifted to a 171-mile stretch in the Central Valley, which connects Merced and Bakersfield and is referred to as the Early Operating Segment.
“To the law-abiding, tax-paying, hardworking citizens of the United States, I’m excited to announce our withdrawal from funding California’s outrageously expensive, ‘HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE.’ This project, led by the incompetent Governor Gavin Newsom, has squandered hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars with nothing to show for it except ballooning costs,” Trump stated on Wednesday.
“The promised railroad is non-existent and will remain so. This initiative was extremely overpriced, overly regulated, and never delivered. Thanks to Secretary Duffy, not a single federal dollar will fund this Newscum scam again. This was an ill-conceived project and a total waste of taxpayer money — but not anymore!” he added.
Duffy elaborated on the rationale behind the federal funding withdrawal, mentioning, “After over a decade of setbacks, the incompetence of CHSRA has made it clear they cannot complete this train to nowhere on time or within budget. It’s time to end this boondoggle. The President and I will ensure your tax dollars contribute only to projects that yield significant benefits.”
In response, Governor Newsom took to social media to criticize Duffy.
“I won’t take advice from someone who can’t keep planes in the sky,” Newsom remarked, referring to recent safety concerns with airlines under Duffy’s management due to several near-misses at major airports.
“Trump aims to hand the future to China while neglecting the Central Valley. We won’t allow that. While projects like the Texas high-speed rail struggle to get off the ground, we’re ahead of the curve,” Newsom continued. “We’re now in the track-laying phase and building the only high-speed rail in America. California is exploring all options to counter this unlawful action.”
This funding decision follows a 300-page report from the FRA released in June, which highlighted missed deadlines, waste, and escalating costs as support for their choice to withdraw federal funds.
The FRA is also examining several grants related to the CHSRA’s project, both obligated and unobligated.
