Last year, the Trump administration cut off $4 billion in federal funding for the project, with the president calling it “the worst cost overrun” he has “ever seen.”
California's high-speed train project from Los Angeles to San Francisco is expected to cost taxpayers more than $126 billion, officials said Sunday. Republican state representatives are now calling for an end to the "failed" project, which began in 2008, as there are still no trains or tracks 18 years later.
Anthony Williams, a California Speed Rail Authority board member, revealed the $125-plus billion figure on CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday, which is $33 billion more than the initial proposed budget. The state's transportation secretary, Toks Omishakin, welcomed the criticism, calling it "very fair" and acknowledging that "mistakes" were made.
The original projected completion date was 2028, but it has been repeatedly pushed back. Last year, the Trump administration cut off $4 billion in federal funding for the project, with the president calling it "the worst cost overrun" he has "ever seen." Earlier this year, Congress cut another $929 million.
The majority of the project has been managed under the leadership of Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, drawing further criticism towards his ability to govern. In 2019, even Newsom himself cast doubt on the project, which now faces a $90 billion funding gap, Fox News reported.
"We're now in 2026: There are no trains; there's no track laid; it was a complete bait and switch," Republican Rep. Vince Fong told "60 Minutes," urging that the project must be prohibited from continuing.
"The California high-speed rail nightmare is probably the quintessential example of government waste and mismanagement," he added. While some state officials believe California can find alternative funding routes to keep the project afloat, Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy referred to it as "Newsom's Disaster" in a statement to CBS News.
"This administration is working to usher in a Golden Age of Transportation," said Sec. Duffy. "That vision includes high-speed rail, and we're exploring opportunities to efficiently build that infrastructure in America. What this administration won't stand for is boondoggle projects like Newsom's Train to Nowhere that wasted billions in taxpayer dollars yet delivered nothing to the American people. Under President Trump, America is building again. We defunded Newsom's disaster and created the first Trump Infrastructure Dividend. Those dollars will now actually fund critical projects that enhance safety on rail networks across America."
The project's most recent projected completion date is 2033.
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