The Trump administration has repeatedly taken aim at the LA-to-Bay Area rail project, blaming Democratic leaders for cost overruns and delays.
USDOT has officially cancelled $4 billion in federal grants for the California High-Speed Rail project, reports Damien Newton in Streetsblog California.
Duffy blames “Gavin Newsom and the complicit Democrats” for the cost overruns and delays despite Newsom being the third governor to oversee the project. The first, when the cost estimates were made that low-balled the overall cost of the project actually occurred when a Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was governor.
Newton points out that, despite all its problems, the CAHSR project is actually making significant headway, with all environmental reviews now complete and 171 miles of track under active construction and design. According to CAHSR CEO Ian Choudri, the cancellation is illegal. “These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025,” Choudri said.
Read the full story: Trump and Duffy Continue Assault on California and the Environment, Officially Cancel Federal Funding for High-Speed Rail
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