Trump pulls federal funding for California high-speed rail, calls it ‘a scam'
The Republican had previously signaled his opposition to the project, launched 15 years ago to build a high-speed train connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.
'Not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again,' he posted on social media, using a pejorative name for California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and bitter political rival of the US president.
'This was an ill-conceived and unnecessary project, and a total waste of Taxpayer money,' said Trump.
Launched in 2008, the project to connect the two main cities of the country's most populous state has seen numerous delays and overshot budgets.
Trump had earlier canceled federal funding for the project in his first term, but the move was suspended after California challenged it in court.
When Democrat Joe Biden was elected president in 2020, he restored the funds.
Trump returned to office in January, and in June, his administration threatened to cancel US$4 billion in funding for the project after a report by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) concluded that the initial section of the line would not be completed by a 2033 deadline.
'Governor Newsom and California's high speed rail boondoggle are the definition of government incompetence and possibly corruption,' said US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a post on social media.
Duffy alleged the project's price tag had gone up from US$33 billion to US$135 billion, 'with no completion date in sight.' 'That's why TODAY we're pulling the plug on federal funding for this train to nowhere,' he said.
Governor Newsom hit back on social media by assailing Duffy over the recent US air safety record.
'Won't be taking advice from the guy who can't keep planes in the sky,' he said.
Even if California once again challenges Trump's decision in court, the funding cancellation would be a serious blow to the project, with new delays almost inevitable.
Unlike Europe or Asia, passenger rail travel is one of the least developed forms of transportation in the United States, with high-speed rail virtually non-existent.
The country's first fully high-speed rail line, planned to run about 220 miles (355 kilometers) between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, is expected to be completed by 2028, in time for the Olympic Games. — AFP
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