Federal Funding Cut Off for CA High-Speed Rail Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After years of waste and ballooning costs, federal funding for California’s failed High-Speed Rail Project is coming to an end, and will be permanently cut off.

Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA)’s proposal to revoke federal funding for California’s High-Speed Rail project was adopted as part of the appropriations bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. The provision makes the project permanently ineligible for future federal funding.

Congressman Kiley has long opposed continued federal funding for the project, citing years of delays, mismanagement, and massive cost overruns.

“California’s High-Speed Rail project has become a textbook example of government failure under Governor Newsom,” Rep. Kiley said. “The project was supposed to be completed years ago, yet it has failed to deliver on its promises and remains billions of dollars over budget. Taxpayers should not be forced to continue funding a project that has consistently failed to meet deadlines or demonstrate fiscal responsibility.”

The project has received approximately $6.9 billion in federal funding over the past 15 years but has yet to lay a single high-speed rail track. Even with continued federal support, the project remains far short of the funding needed to complete even a fraction of the planned route.

By permanently ending federal eligibility for the High-Speed Rail project, California’s share of federal transportation dollars can instead be directed toward real transportation priorities such as repairing roads, improving regional transit, and investing in infrastructure projects that deliver tangible benefits for Californians.

Click here to watch Rep. Kiley’s floor remarks.

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