The Trump administration took another swing at California’s high-speed rail project, pulling millions more in funding after withdrawing billions in July.
Suggested Reading
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the Federal Railroad Administration removed an additional $175 million in federal funding from four projects related to the California project in a statement Tuesday.
Related Content
Duffy pulled $4 billion in federal funding from the project in July after the FRA released a compliance review report of the project in June in which it concluded the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which runs the project, was not likely to deliver on its end of the agreement.
He said that so far the project, which he has repeatedly referred to as a “boondoggle,” has racked up about $15 billion in costs.
On top of stripping the project of millions more in funding, the transportation secretary instructed the FRA to review all obligated grants from the project.
The high-speed rail would travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours during its first phase, with future plans to include Sacramento and San Diego. The project’s website says it would total 800 miles and 24 stations.
“As of today, the American people are done investing in California’s failed experiment,” Duffy said in the release. “Instead, my Department will focus on making travel great again by investing in well-managed projects that can make projects like high-speed rail a reality.”
The California High-Speed Rail Authority did not immediately respond to Quartz’s request for comment.
After the FRA pulled billions in funding from the project, the CHSRA filed a lawsuit to challenge a move that California governor Gavin Newsom called “illegal,” Reuters reported.
Newsom said the removal of funds was “petty, political retribution, motivated by President Trump’s personal animus toward California and the high-speed rail project, not the facts on the ground,” the outlet reported.
California’s high-speed rail project is just one rumble within an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and California — or, more specifically, the president and Newsom.
Most recently, Trump threatened to sue the state over Newsom’s proposed redistricting ballot measure, which Newsom announced in response to Texas’ congressional redistricting efforts.