Trump administration revokes $4 billion in funding for California high-speed ‘train to nowhere’

The US Department of Transport has announced that it will withdraw $ 4 billion in financing for the project, after weeks of indicating that he would do so. In general, it came just less than a quarter of the project funding from the federal government. The rest came from the state, especially through a support and funds accredited by voters from the maximum and trade program.

President Donald Trump and Transport Minister Sean Duffy criticized the project as a “train anywhere”.

Trump wrote about the social truth: “The rails that we promised still do not exist, and will not do that.” “This project was very exaggerated, organized, and has never been delivered.”

The loss represented the latest blow to California by the Trump administration, which prevented a ruling on the first country of gradual disposal from selling new gas -working cars, launched investigations into university admission policies and threatening to withdraw funding on sexually transformed girls who are allowed to compete in girls’ sports.

It also comes at a time when railway leaders are seeking special investments to help pay the price of more than $ 100 billion.

The voters first agreed to the project in 2008 and this contract was supposed to work. However, cost estimates have grown constantly and pushed the schedule.

State officials are now focusing on building an extension of 119 miles (192 km) linking the cities of Wadi Central Bakersfield and Morsid, which is scheduled to operate by 2033. The high -speed railway in California is scheduled to issue this summer to legislators in the state with an updated financing plan and a schedule for the project.

In a letter earlier this month, the Authority officials wrote that the Trump administration failed to cancel the financing before the project’s review accurately. They indicated that more than 50 structures have already been built, including expenses, bridges and bridges to separate the railway line from the roads for safety.

“The abolition of these grants without reason is not only a mistake – it is illegal,” said Ian Chaudhry, CEO of Power Company in a statement on Wednesday. “These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has received every commitment, as repeated federal reviews confirmed recently in February 2025.”

The authority asked the private sector investors to express their interest at the end of the month.

The governor of the democratic state, Gavin News, said that the state will maintain “all options on the table” to fight the abolition of federal funds.

“Trump wants to hand over China the future and give up the central valley. We will not allow it,” he said in a statement.

Drew Lily, the official in charge of the Federal Railways Department of the Ministry of Transport, said in a report issued last month that the state “has no viable plan” to complete even the central valley sector. He described the project as “the story of broken promises” and wasting a taxpayer dollar.

California Democrats also criticized the project spending. Rebecca Power-Khan, a member of the Democratic parliament in a budget hearing earlier this year, said that her voters “believed in an overwhelming majority” that high-speed rail spending was “irresponsible.”

Newsom plans to expand the state’s maximum program, a major financing source for the project that is appointed at the end of 2030, until 2045.

The program determines an end to the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that it can make with great emitters. These pollutants can buy allowances from the country needed for pollution, and about 45 % of these funds go to what is known as the greenhouse gas -reduction fund, according to the independent consulting committee in the emissions market, a group of experts who review the program.

The fund helps to pay the costs of climate and transport projects, including high -speed railways.

The leading train project receives 25 % of the funds from the fund, which ends slightly less or more than a billion dollars annually, depending on the year. In May, newsom suggested guaranteeing one billion dollars annually to the project from the fund, but the legislators did not agree to that.