U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is halting all federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project, citing massive cost overruns and delays. In a social media post, Trump said the project was “severely overpriced, overregulated, and never delivered,” slamming it as a waste of taxpayer money. “The railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,” he wrote. “Thanks to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, not a single penny in federal dollars will go towards this Newscum scam ever again.”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the government was withdrawing $4 billion in funding for the controversial rail initiative. The project, initially approved in 2008 under then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, aimed to connect major cities across California with a high-speed train network. The first train was originally scheduled to be operational by 2020.
However, five years past that deadline, construction remains stalled, with no tracks laid and projected costs ballooning. The Department of Transportation criticized the project for its failure to meet key milestones and for unreliable ridership projections.
Trump had already called for a federal investigation into the rail system back in February, raising concerns over transparency and accountability. His administration’s decision to pull the plug marks a significant blow to California’s ambitions for a modernized rail infrastructure.
The cancellation adds fuel to ongoing debates over large-scale public infrastructure spending and government oversight. California officials have yet to issue a formal response to the funding cut. Meanwhile, critics argue the project’s mismanagement exemplifies the risks of poorly planned transportation ventures.
The move could also impact future federal support for other high-speed rail projects across the U.S., especially amid heightened scrutiny over infrastructure budgets.