USA: California state governor Gavin Newsom has insisted that the state’s high speed rail programme will continue after the Trump administration confirmed on July 15 its intention to strip at least $4bn in federal funding from the project promoter.
Round of applause for @realDonaldTrump and @SecDuffy on handing China the future and abandoning the Central Valley — again!
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) July 17, 2025
But sorry to disappoint: We’re not letting that happen. https://t.co/851da27Y8Y
In a post on social media, Newsom said ‘we will be exploring all options to fight this illegal action’, accusing the federal government of ‘handing China the future’. In a statement he added that ‘Trump’s termination of federal grants for California high speed rail reeks of politics. It’s yet another political stunt to punish California. In reality, this is just a heartless attack on the Central Valley that will put real jobs and livelihoods on the line. We’re suing to stop Trump from derailing America’s only high speed rail actively under construction.’
‘Boondoggle must end’
Federal Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insisted that the funding cut was ‘California’s fault. Governor Newsom and the complicit Democrats have enabled this waste for years. After over a decade of failures, CHSRA’s mismanagement and incompetence has proven it cannot build its train to nowhere on time or on budget. It’s time for this boondoggle to die.‘
The decision came following what USDOT termed ‘an exhaustive compliance review’ by the Federal Railroad Administration. It said that CHSRA was then given two opportunities to respond to the review’s findings, but neither response ‘addressed FRA’s significant concerns. CHSRA simply cannot meet its obligations under the grant agreement’, it insisted.
In addition, USDOT said that Duffy had directed it to ‘consult with the Department of Justice on the findings of FRA’s Compliance Review, including potentially clawing back funding related to California’s train to nowhere and other potential issues under federal law’.
‘By terminating these grant agreements, FRA is saving taxpayers nearly $4bn. FRA will start exploring how these funds can be made available to viable and meritorious passenger rail projects’, the statement concluded.
Support among Californians
Meanwhile, there are doubts about how popular Duffy’s work to undermine the high speed rail programme is proving to be.
The US High Speed Rail Association shared polling it commisioned from Politico California and UC Berkeley’s Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research showing that 67% of registered California voters support the continued construction of the planned Los Angeles – San Francisco high speed line. USHSRA added that this result represented an increase of more than 10 percentage points in general voter support compared to other recent surveys raising the topic.
‘The state of California has the financial resources and the political will to complete this landmark project, which will transform the state’s economy and help to restore the California dream’, said Andy Kunz, the association’s Chief Executive. ‘Voter support for the California high speed rail project has never been higher.’
