President Trump has pulled the plug on federal funding for California’s troubled bullet train project, calling it a wasteful and failed experiment. The move cuts off future taxpayer support for what Trump labeled the “High Speed Train to Nowhere.”
Key Facts:
- President Trump announced the cancellation of federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project on Wednesday.
- California Democrats had recently asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for $536 million in additional federal funding.
- The project’s estimated cost ballooned from $33 billion to over $100 billion.
- Since inception, roughly $28.8 billion has been committed, including $6.8 billion in federal funds.
- Trump called the rail line a “boondoggle” and blamed Governor Gavin Newsom for the failures.
The Rest of The Story:
President Trump made his announcement via Truth Social, celebrating the end of federal support for California’s high-speed rail project.
He slammed Governor Gavin Newsom for mismanaging the effort, which he described as an “overpriced, overregulated, and never delivered” disaster.
In late December—just before Trump returned to office—California Democrats in Congress sent a plea to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for more funding.
The group, including Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, asked for $536 million to continue work on the first phase of the project.
They framed the request as part of a broader state-federal partnership aimed at economic growth, equity, and climate initiatives.
In their letter, lawmakers cited $28.8 billion already allocated, most of it from state funds, and emphasized the need to prepare for complex tunnel construction in California’s Central Valley.
Trump’s response was anything but diplomatic.
“This boondoggle, led by the incompetent Governor of California, Gavin Newscum, has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, and we have received NOTHING in return except cost overruns,” he posted.
He added that, thanks to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, “not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again.”
Governor Newsom and California’s high speed rail boondoggle are the definition of government incompetence and possibly corruption.
The price tag has gone from $33B to $135B with no completion date in sight.
We could give every single LA & SF resident almost 200 free flights… pic.twitter.com/19lyBzPZ62
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 16, 2025
Commentary:
This decision by President Trump is a win for fiscal sanity.
California’s bullet train was never a serious transportation solution—it was a pipe dream pushed by ideologues and sustained by political theater.
What started as an ambitious $33 billion project spiraled into a $100 billion quagmire with no end in sight.
Supporters of the train sold it as a marvel of modern infrastructure and a commitment to environmental progress.
In reality, it became a jobs program for consultants and a money pit for bureaucrats.
Decades later, there’s still no functioning train to show for it. What taxpayers got instead were excuses, delays, and soaring costs.
Governor Newsom and his allies never had the political or managerial will to complete this project.
Instead of scaling it down or cutting losses, they kept pouring money into planning, studies, and design phases—while blaming everyone but themselves for the lack of real progress.
Trump’s move puts a firm stop to this madness. By refusing to throw good money after bad, he’s protecting American taxpayers from more waste.
It’s a model of the kind of leadership that asks hard questions and says “no” when the answer is obvious.
Of course, California won’t take this lying down.
Expect lawsuits from the state’s far-left leadership, who see federal funding as a bottomless ATM for failed projects.
They’ll argue it’s about climate change or transportation equity—but at its core, this fight is about control and money.
The lawsuits will drag on and cost even more, adding insult to injury for taxpayers.
But in the end, the courts are unlikely to force the federal government to fund a project that clearly violates the public trust.
Governor Newsom might keep the dream alive with flashy speeches and empty promises.
But without federal funds, the bullet train project is effectively dead on arrival—and that’s exactly where it belongs.
The Bottom Line:
President Trump’s decision to cut off federal funds to California’s bullet train marks the end of a failed experiment in big-government rail fantasy.
The state poured billions into a project that never produced results.
Now, with no more federal money to burn, the train to nowhere is finally off the tracks.
Expect California to sue—but taxpayers should cheer this long-overdue move.
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