US EditionUS will not pay for California high-speed rail, Trump says
- President Donald Trump said in May 2025 that the federal government will not fund California's high-speed rail project and announced a formal review.
- This statement reflects changes in political backing, including Trump's removal of close to one billion dollars in federal support and Biden's 2023 allocation of three billion dollars.
- The project began with a 2008 $33 billion cost estimate and expected 2020 service start but has only built 119 miles of a planned 776-mile route, with costs rising to $128 billion.
- A February inspector general report highlighted a shortfall of $6.5 billion for the segment between Merced and Bakersfield and concluded that meeting the 2033 passenger service deadline is improbable, while CEO Ian Choudri pointed to inconsistent funding as a major obstacle.
- Trump's stance escalates tensions, threatening project scaling back or alternative financing, while California officials warn that withdrawal would waste billions and harm jobs and infrastructure progress.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Trump Says Federal Government Won’t Fund California’s High-Speed Rail Project
President Donald Trump said the federal government will not continue to pay for California’s high-speed rail, calling the costly and delayed project “out of control” during a meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney on May 6. The president said he told Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy about his decision. “That train is the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “It’s totally out of control. It’s a stupid …
Trump says US government ‘not going to pay’ for California high-speed rail
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — President Donald Trump says the U.S. government will not pay for California’s high-speed rail project, fueling growing concerns that the bullet train will not have stable federal funding for the foreseeable future. “That train is the worst…
Hurting His Voters in Central California: Trump ‘Is Not Going to Pay’ for California High-Speed Rail
May 7, 2025 The cities that California’s high-speed rail train is going through are politically red as red can be, with many residents voting for Trump. And now it’s coming back to haunt them. The NYT is reporting that President Trump said Tuesday that the federal government will not pay for California’s high-speed train, another potential wrinkle in a troubled project that has repeatedly blown past its budget and completion timeline since voter…
President Trump Confirms California’s High Speed Rail System Will No Longer Receive Any Federal Funds – California Globe
In a joint conference with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that the federal government would not put any more money towards the California High-Speed Rail system, all but ensuring further budgetary gaps for the controversial project. Speaking from the White House, Trump added that spending on California’s high speed rail project was out of control and that the project, along with other st…
Why this nonprofit made a $1.2 million decision to reject federal funding under Trump
Many nonprofits are in no position to turn away any federal funding, let alone $1.2 million of it, but Advocates for Youth decided to do just that after Donald Trump became president again. Established in 1980 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization works with youth leaders and their adult allies to help young people protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and unintended pregnancy. Much of the nonpro…
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