Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) speaking from the House floor in December 2024 (Photo: C-Span screenshot)
Rep. Kiley to Introduce Bill to Eliminate All Federal Funding For California High-Speed Rail Authority
If successful, bill would halt at least $8 billion in potential funding
By Evan Symon, December 11, 2024 4:42 pm
Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) announced on Wednesday that he plans to introduce a bill soon that would eliminate federal funding for the failed California High-Speed Rail project, which, if successful, would amount to at least $8 billion in potential federal funding.
Originally estimated to cost $33 billion in 2008, costs of the California high speed rail system has ballooned to well over $100 billion, whittled down to $98 billion, then cut to $68 billion, and back up to $113 billion, to $128 billion, and up again to $135 billion. Completion dates have also been continuously delayed, with the original goal of the system traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles by 2028, to well into the 2030’s for only a partial completion. Despite numerous setbacks, and more Californians calling the plans into question, construction on the Bakersfield to Merced leg have continued on for the last several years, with overall support for the program still just above 50% in the state, and the federal government pouring billions into the project as well.
At the beginning of this year, construction estimates were at $128 billion to $135 billion, with estimated partial completion still being in the 2030’s. However, California High Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) CEO Brian Kelly told lawmakers in March that more is needed. In the short term, the $28 billion allocated to connect Bakersfield with Merced as part of phase one would be falling short of what is needed. The cost is now set between $32 Billion and $35 Billion for an estimated opening between the years 2030 and 2033. Kelly also asked the Governor to prioritize the project and asked lawmakers to send some rainy day funds towards the project to help finish the first leg. Longer-term, Kelly shocked both Republicans and Democrats by saying that, according to the latest updated draft plan, at least another $100 billion in total would be needed to complete the total linkup between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Since March, the “$100 billion behind” number has remained largely unchanged. But the grand scale of the project has only invited more criticism. Following Donald Trump’s victory last month and his proposal of forming the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the cost of the High Speed Rail project has once again fallen under federal crosshairs. Previously, Trump cancelled around $1 billion in funding for the project when he was still in his first term, only for President Joe Biden to bring it back, along with an extra $300,000.
A new bill to eliminate rail funding
However, earlier this month, all federal funding was suddenly on the line, as expected DOGE Co-Commissioner Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed last week that DOGE will be looking at removing all-funding from the California High Speed rail project. In particular, Ramaswamy balked at project needing at least $100 billion more to be completed, the constant delays, and project’s substantial delays and the $6.8 billion in federal funding it has received and the $8 billion in additional funding that has been requested. Following the announcement by Ramaswamy, Kiley spoke on the House floor praising the decision.
This led to Wednesday when Congressman Kiley, who has for years stood firmly opposed to the High-Speed rail system as an Assemblyman in Sacramento, announced that he would be creating legislation that would eliminate all federal funding for the project.
“California’s high-speed rail project has failed because of political ineptitude, and there is no plausible scenario where the cost to federal or state taxpayers can be justified,” said Kiley in a statement. “Our share of federal transportation funding should go towards real infrastructure needs, such as improving roads that rank among the worst in the country.”
As he is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Kiley could easily jumpstart DOGE’s efforts to federally block funding. Also helping is an incoming GOP majority in the House and Senate, many Democrats expressing doubts about the project, and incoming President Donald Trump opposing the project.
While the bill has yet to be introduced, it will likely be on the House floor early next year to coincide with DOGE starting up and a new session in Washington.
“Kiley’s bill will serve as one of many avenues for the effort to end federal funding for the project,” transportation industry accountant Derrick Clark told the Globe Friday. “Remember, DOGE can only recommend, and that’s if they are formed at all. But going through the House and Senate as a standard bill is one way to do it. You can put pressure on the Department of Transportation. You can do what the Trump administration did last time and end it through the Federal Railroad Administration. Executive orders. Department of Justice legal issues. There’s a lot of way to do this.
“Kiley’s bill is by far the cleanest way to do it, as it would be simple passed legislation that Trump would never veto. But should it fail, Trump can stop funding in other ways, likely through the FRA again. But with Kiley’s bill, it would be a lot harder to overturn and a lot more permanent. Plus this shows Trump once again that he still has a contingent of support in California. As Governor Gavin Newsom has been a big proponent of the High-Speed rail system and against Trump, trying to Trump-proof the state, this bill would really embarrass him. You know, who helped kill funding for the bill? A Californian.”
The bill is expected to be introduced in the House in the coming months.
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Finally some sanity. Pull the plug on this pig of a project.
Just buy everyone in California an electric car, you’d be saving money….high speed rail is a joke.
no thanks. you couldn’t give me one of thoses ev’pos.
Trillion dollar Train to nowhere should be converted to make a nice green bike path and
jogging path.
Obviously you don’t use the rail system, you should try it sometime before you open your mouth! you have no idea the complexity it is to use Amtrack. I hope that you wind up having to use it and soon, so you will have some idea what we go through. you disgust me!
It’s not a “pig of a project.” It’s sensible infrastructure adopted everywhere else in the world. What’s really pig-headed (and slowing down progress) is all the opposition from people who don’t want HSR in the first place.
But we can supply billions of dollars for other countries for War, no questions asked. I’m sure the airline-aviation industry is happy.
Gov Nuisance, as he is known, recklessly spends Americas $$, not caring about the final cost, but there Never is a final, his Auntie PIGosis family has benefited from insider trading & land they bought up & owned, only to be sold back to them for their own profit, Feinstein & PIGosiis have been in this thing from the start, ripping off taxpayers for endless funding! Stop the bleeding, cut them off!
The state of California could just hold on to it’s yearly federal taxes. and all you other red neck states will not get any of our state returns. That sounds better.
Do I detected a slight smile of satisfaction in the face of Kevin?
He finally gets to stick it to Gav!
Yea Team!
ok so China now is looking at high speed railroads to add to their mag trains. We are so behind. Get it done now! rep Kiley is going back, not forward, like all Republicans. They can’t get by their own greed to do something that would help “we the people.”
You are being disingenuous by thinking this project has any merit at all. Trains are not some new technology. We can travel from LA to San Francisco in about an hour on a plane. This is insanity, and anyone who thinks it’s a good idea is just kidding themselves!
It seems the question becomes did the geniuses behind this know it would be a vote-buying union jobs program and slush fund from the beginning? And not just AFTER they saw they could get away with it? Answering that question may help to determine how much prison time is in store (please, yes) for these unrepentent thieves who are responsible for the BIGGEST money and time waster in the history of civilization.
Something to help “We The People” huh?
Seriously, how many people will it realistically help. They built a commuter rail train from Redlands to San Bernardino in the last couple years.
What are the “Ridership” numbers?
I barely see 2-3 seats filled every time one of the “Metro Arrow” goes by.
How many people is this really helping?
I invite a response!!
Stop confusing the issue with facts.
Helping the people would have been completing a regular rail service from LA to SF. The fact you have to take a bus for part of the route is a joke. Jumping straight to a bullet train was a huge waste of money.
As a truck driver with back and neck problems from driving on our heinous CA highways, I think we have bigger priorities!
Also, Gavin is a few years behind on his “10 year plan to end homelessness”.
If Trump was the Governor of CA, the train would have been built 10 years ago and only cost 1 billion!
The cost equates to $3,250 for every man woman and child (40 million) living in California. and that’s assuming the cost doesn’t increase, and it absolutely will. this is the most massive boondoggle I’ve ever heard of. worse yet, when it’s finally done, no one is going to use it. takes you where you don’t want to start to where you don’t want to finish at a time you don’t want to go. you still have to have transportation on either end because it would drop you off at a station out in the middle of nowhere. and now it doesn’t even go straight through, it stops out in the Mojave desert. this whole thing sounds like a Monty Python skit. Pull the plug.
I would love to see the accounting of the project with so little really done and so much money spent am sure the amount of funds taken by mismanagement misinformation and out right taken to enrich the greedy would if allowed to trace every dollar would but quit a few behind bars. study after study where the new study used the information all ready of record bit charged a unbelievable fee.
California High-Speed Rail need a name descriptive of what it will be: “Dust Piercer”
It was the late Norm Mineta who said in 1995, “The crucial question in transportation today is: What should government do, and what should it leave to others?” Still is. If you put enough UPS, Fedex and Postal Service tonnage on HSR, you wouldn’t need to ask taxpayers for a dime. What about Amtrak? In 1970 during debate on creation of Amtrak, Congressmen stood and proclaimed “it will be self sufficient in three years.” County transit is only earning about 10-15% of operating costs from passengers. Taxpayers’ subsidies fill the gap to keep it going.
How about Lite Rail boondoggle wastefulness. Why should motorists pay 102% of the cost of our transport, while transit riders are paying less than 1% of the cost of their transport. The double standard in transport funding is unsound and unsustainable transport policy. Vested interests in the current policy employ scorched Earth defense to protect their nest. We ought to follow Lincoln’s advice to Gen. Granville Dodge in 1864 and keep in the private sector our transport. Why did we de-nationalize RRs with the Transportation Act of 1920? Why do we let public sector transit use Enron-style, “off-book” accounting methods when IRS regs require everyone to use GAAP accounting? How much could we save if we privatized transit?
Amen
I remember thinking “The Big Dig” in Boston was an outrageous boondoggle. Hah!
They had NOTHING on Gruesome and his vote-buying, union-butt-kissing, 17-year-long-with-nothing-to-show-for-it disaster of a jobs program, the Endless Train to Nowhere.
Another failed project to keep.lining the pocket of our crooked Governor and all his cronies! Newsperm is a straightup thief. arrest him like anyone else pulling this garbage!
half truths and party line mentality. truth be told, every politician is lining their pockets, Republican and Democrat alike. term limits and removing corporate money from politics is where we need to start.
this passenger rail system should have been constructed during the era when BART was constructed, now it’s too little, too late. A lot of state and federal monies have been put into an albatross. Do we borrow more to attempt to complete or shut it down? If we shut down, what can the already constructed be re utilized for? What a political mess for Cali😢
A train from nowhere going to nowhere. A classic California boondoggle.