Unleash Prosperity senior fellow Wendell Cox discusses in “The Bottom Line” that the Trump administration has raised $4 billion in federal funds for California’s high-speed rail project.
California has withdrawn the lawsuit against the US Trump administration after raising about $4 billion in federal funding for the state’s high-speed rail project.
Court records show that California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office filed a notice on December 23 voluntarily dismissing the lawsuit without prejudice on behalf of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), which had sought to restore federal funding.
“This action reflects the state’s assessment that the federal government is not a reliable, constructive, or trustworthy partner in advancing high-speed rail in California,” an authority spokesperson said. in a statement to the Sacramento Bee.
“The Federal Railroad Administration stated that all work performed by the Authority – whether performed as part of cooperative agreements or otherwise – remains ‘at risk’ and may not receive funding,” the spokesperson added.
HIGH SPEED RAIL IS NOT THE ONLY EXPENSIVE BOONDOGLE IN CALIFORNIA
Work on the California High-Speed Rail Hanford Viaduct in Hanford, California will continue on Tuesday, January 29, 2024. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Transport Minister Sean Duffy announced in July that he was pulling the plug on the long-delayed project, calling it a “boendoggle.”
“This is it California’s fault. Governor Newsom and complicit Democrats have enabled this waste for years. Federal dollars are not a blank check; they come with the promise to deliver results. After more than a decade of failure, CHSRA’s mismanagement and incompetence has proven that it cannot build its train to nowhere on time or on budget,” Duffy said.
President Donald Trump echoed Duffy’s sentiment at the time, calling the project a “bullet train to nowhere.”
In a letter To the CHSRA, the Federal Railroad Administration said it was withdrawing federal funding, about $4 billion in commitments, after concluding the project could not be delivered as promised.
IT’S TIME FOR NEWSOM TO PUSH THE BRAKES ON CALIFORNIA’S $128 BILLION GHOST TRAIN
Work on the California High-Speed Rail Hanford Viaduct in Hanford, California will continue on Tuesday, January 29, 2024. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The agency cited increasing delays and ballooning costsincluding major change orders, saying significant federal funds had already been spent despite the authority’s failure to meet key milestones.
CHSRA launched a formal process on December 19 attract private investors and developers by summer 2026 as part of efforts to deliver the high-speed rail project “faster, smarter and more economically”.
“Private sector interest in investing in California’s high-speed rail project is strong and continues to grow,” said CHSRA CEO Ian Choudri.
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“Today’s procurement formalizes efforts to partner with private investors and developers, with the shared goal of delivering California’s transformation program faster, smarter and more economically,” he said. “By leveraging private sector innovation and best practices against strong, stable state funding, we can maximize the value of California’s investments and accelerate the delivery of renewable energy. high-speed infrastructure throughout the state.”
In one press releaseCHSRA said 170 miles of the project between Merced and Bakersfield are in design and construction, with nearly 80 miles of guideway completed and dozens of major structures fully completed.
