Trump administration takes aim at $4B in funding for California high-speed rail

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 6:44 PM EST, February 20, 2025


LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Trump administration is once again targeting California’s controversial high-speed rail project, with federal transportation officials on Thursday announcing an investigation and possible withdrawal of about $4 billion in federal funding.

Voters first approved $10 billion in bond money in 2008 for a project designed to shuttle riders between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours. It was slated to cost $33 billion and be finished by 2020. But the project has been beset by funding challenges, cost overruns and delays.

Now, state officials are focused on a 171-mile (275-kilometer) stretch connecting the Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Merced, which is set to be operating by 2033. The entire San Francisco to Los Angeles line will now cost an estimated $106 billion to finish and officials hope to complete it in the next 20 years if there is money.

“I am directing my staff to review and determine whether the (California High-Speed Rail Authority) has followed through on the commitments it made to receive billions of dollars in federal funding. If not, I will have to consider whether that money could be given to deserving infrastructure projects elsewhere in the United States,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference in Los Angeles.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/california-high-speed-rail-trump-investigation-5b4d6494a8cdd9a3fe3b8949bb5b1bba

[Walleye]

1. "deserving infrastructure projects elsewhere in the United States"

Yeah, I’ll bet. Are we talking Trump golf courses, SpaceX launch pads?Stay the fuck out of California. Politics , asshole. Elon must be getting something out of this. He’s not doing it because of his love for the United States because he doesn’t have any.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I'm bracing for Trump to withdraw federal funding for the replacement tunnel

connecting New Jersey to New York City.

Chris Christie stopped it before. The project has barely been started.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Now you KNOW

that project will be history.

(and I remember when Christie had to pay the $$ back although the settlement was for much less than was given to NJ)

[IcyPeas]

3. Paging Governor Gavin Newsom...

Trump wants to take money away from California and give it to a red state.

Revenge revenge revenge

[Buddyzbuddy]

5. I'm a Democrat in CA and I have to say, it is a boondoggle.

Total waste of money. One of the dumbest ideas. Billions of $ to shave 90 minutes of drive time.
I really like Newsome but he blew it on this one. Couldn't we have used the funds for more charging stations, lower gas taxes and grants towards electric car purchases. Instead we're saddled with higher gas taxes, higher registration fees and quasi privatized toll roads that were built and paid for by us taxpayers.

[azureblue]

12. and that whoosh sound you hear

is the point of mass transit going right over your head - reducing auto traffic by making it fast and efficient.

[Buddyzbuddy]

15. Bull crap, it's a little faster for a few people that can afford it.

Last edited Fri Feb 21, 2025, 10:54 PM - Edit history (1)

Like the toll for single riders to pay for the privilege to bypass those that can't afford to get home sooner like the typical hardworking blue collar worker that has to live farther from work.
That's how they sold that boondoggle. Just like charter schools and private prisons. Under the guise of it will be fair for everybody.
That guy that just dug trenches for 12 hours so he can drive for 2 hours stuck in traffic, to get home, see his family, eat, and maybe sleep for 6 hours and get up at 5am to leave by 6am to do it all over again. Meanwhile, you have the suited business guy get up maybe 730am after 8 hours of sleep, passing that laborer stuck on the freeway because he paid for the privilege to ride on the same freeway the laborer paid taxes to build, but in his express lane via tolls.
Same thing for the really fast, really expensive train that shaves 90 minutes.
My daughter drove that commute 4.5 hrs 2 times round-trip, 4 times each way per week for 2 years as a grad student at UC Berkeley because we couldn't afford housing there.
You know who wants that commute? Tech brats that work near S.F. that don't want the hassle of flying. And politicians.
F.CK that.

[homegirl]

16. Ninety minutes of

drive time!!! NEVER!!

[Prairie Gates]

6. That poster brooklynite would be happy with this move

Dude was like the Anti-High Speed Rail Lobby at DU.

[somsai]

7. China would have built it in a month and a half

Congress needs to make a workaround for infrastructure. We also need a gazillion miles of electric infrastructure to shift away from burning carbon. People made fun of the Biden administration's electric charging stations, billions spent with nothing to show for it while Musk was building his own by the hundreds.

We build things and they cost ten times as much as they do elsewhere. Sweetheart contracts to favored companies.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Easy, without having to consider environmental impact, work within eminent domain restrictions, etc. NT

[Evolve Dammit]

10. China has amazing high speed rail

[Owens]

9. What happened to Infrastructure Week?

[homegirl]

17. Japan

also has high speed rail!

[DENVERPOPS]

11. Along these lines

Projects that have wasted, by far, more billions should be looked at....LIKE

Is it the F-35? and Osprey? aircraft????????????

They are just singling out this high speed train because it is in: .................. California....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will see a great deal MORE of the targeting of Blue States by this administration, not unlike what Trump did in targeting Blue states in the Covid Pandemic.....during his first Occupancy of the White House.....

[azureblue]

13. and watch Gavin

Suddenly find ways to stop sending CA money to Washington.. CA is the golden bear, and felon Trump just poked it..

[DENVERPOPS]

14. If California, NY, and a few other Blue States

quit sending money to Washington, the Feds would be bankrupt overnight.......

Just look at google to see the amount of money sent to washington DC by each state, and the amount returned to each state by the Feds.

For starters, the Southern Confederate States, suck that money up.......They all are leaders in taking much more than they send.....

[MichMan]

19. States don't send money to DC

Individual taxpayers do

[DENVERPOPS]

20. That is what I meant

the PEOPLE in those states

[MichMan]

18. Should have been completed years ago and for the cost they promised

It was slated to cost $33 billion and be finished by 2020. But the project has been beset by funding challenges, cost overruns and delays.

Now, state officials are focused on a 171-mile (275-kilometer) stretch connecting the Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Merced, which is set to be operating by 2033. The entire San Francisco to Los Angeles line will now cost an estimated $106 billion to finish and officials hope to complete it in the next 20 years if there is money.