California High Speed Rail Authority to Sue Feds Over Cancellation of Funds

While travelers from Tokyo to Turin enjoy the benefits of high speed rail transit, the U.S. has recently cancelled approximately $900 million in planned funding for the project in California.

Among those opposing the move, Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-S M) issued a statement hailing the California high-speed rail agency’s decision to sue the federal government over the Trump administration’s recent cancelation of planned funding for the high-speed rail.

“I applaud the California high-speed rail authority’s lawsuit, which directly challenges the Trump administration’s needless attack on the project. The federal government has failed the state as a partner and has failed to lead the country’s transportation policy in a progressive direction. The California high-speed rail is the biggest mobility project in the state since the Interstate Highway System decades ago. The creation of that system was a product of state and federal collaboration, with the federal government paying 88 percent of the projects cost. The federal government’s input on high speed rail has been meager, and its $3.5 billion award to the state accounts for less than 5 percent of the total projected cost. Despite its minimal funding contribution, the federal government has had an outsized role in shaping the planning of the project, including driving some of its weaknesses and challenges.

“The federal government should be our partner not our antagonist. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has chosen the latter, repeatedly undermining California’s transportation policy and the interests of our state. I support Governor Newsom’s effort to fight for California and applaud his ongoing commitment to completing a statewide high-speed rail system as our voters have mandated.”

Guy W. Strahl

The Actors' Gang

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