California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration over the cancellation of $4 billion in high-speed rail funds, calling it “petty, political retribution” driven by the president’s hostility toward the state.
“Trump’s termination of federal grants for California high-speed rail reeks of politics. It’s yet another political stunt to punish California,” Newsom stated in a news release. “In reality, this is just a heartless attack on the Central Valley that will put real jobs and livelihoods on the line. We’re suing to stop Trump from derailing America’s only high-speed rail actively under construction.”
Though the lawsuit calls it “petty, political retribution,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended canceling $4 billion in rail funds, citing 16 years of failure, no finished track, and soaring costs, calling the project a mismanaged “boondoggle.”
“This is California’s fault. Governor Newsom and the complicit Democrats have enabled this waste for years. Federal dollars are not a blank check – they come with a promise to deliver results,” Duffy said in a statement.
The announcement followed months of scrutiny and a 300-page compliance review that found the California High-Speed Rail project plagued by delays, mismanagement, cost overruns, missed deadlines, and the absence of high-speed track laid over a decade. Despite efforts, CHSRA failed to address major issues, including unfinalized trainset contracts and inflated ridership projections.
Trump also referred to the project as a “boondoggle,” adding in a post on Truth Social: “To the Law abiding, Tax paying, Hardworking Citizens of the United States of America, I am thrilled to announce that I have officially freed you from funding California’s disastrously overpriced, “HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE.”
“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. The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,” Trump continued. “This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED. Thanks to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again. This was an ill-conceived and unnecessary project, and a total waste of Taxpayer money — But no more!”
In response to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA):
Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong, it’s illegal. These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as Feb. 2025. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/1c9EI5mSa0— CA High-Speed Rail 🚄💨 (@CaHSRA) July 17, 2025
GOING NOWHERE: Trump admin pulls the plug on California’s $4B ‘boondoggle’
