LaMalfa Applauds Trump Administration for Revoking High-Speed Rail Funding

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Transportation officially revoked $4 billion in federal funding for California’s long-troubled high-speed rail project. The project, first approved by voters in 2008, has faced repeated delays, skyrocketing costs, and has yet to deliver.

“What I’ve suspected since 2008 as a state legislator has been born out of years and years of pie in the sky projections, fake promises about the number of people to be employed, the timeline in which high speed rail would be completed, and the price tag for the taxpayers of California, and now the entire U.S.,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “In 17 years, they’ve managed to raise about $17 billion for this project, and the price has ballooned from $33 billion to $128 billion. That puts them $111 billion short of what they say they need to complete it. There is no way the federal government and 50 states' worth of taxpayers should be on the hook for a single dollar more, as the promises have been broken and the contracts have been violated on this boondoggle. President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s instincts to pull back this Biden-era funding are right, and I greatly appreciate them taking back this $4 billion. We should be dedicating that money to real infrastructure—water storage and highway repairs that will be much more productive for Californians and Americans than continuing this boondoggle that is over $110 billion short and at least 20 years behind. I appreciate the Trump Administration and Secretary Duffy for finally putting a stop to this.”

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy have both called out the project for failing to meet its contractual obligations and wasting taxpayer dollars. The administration’s decision is a serious blow to this project’s future, which has lost public trust and federal confidence.

The high-speed rail project, originally estimated to cost $33 billion, has ballooned to $128 billion and is now primarily focused on a short 119-mile stretch from Merced to Bakersfield through the Central Valley that comes nowhere near connecting San Francisco to L.A., and even this short segment is not expected to be operational until at least 2033.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

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