California has dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration, which sought to recover about $4 billion in federal funds received from the state's troubled and long-delayed high-speed rail project.
Instead of acknowledging ongoing problems with the multibillion-dollar bullet train project, state officials accused the federal government of not being a “reliable” partner. according to according to Bloomberg.
“This action reflects the state's assessment that the federal government is not a reliable, constructive or trustworthy partner in the development of high-speed rail in California,” a spokesperson for the California High Speed Rail Authority said in an email to the news service.
The lawsuit was filed after the Federal Railroad Administration withdrew nearly $4 billion in federal grants, alleging that the California High Speed Rail Authority had failed to meet its goals due to years of delays and cost overruns.
According to Bloomberg:
State officials challenged the decision in court, saying the administration violated mandatory grant agreements. But now California has decided to abandon the case and continue without support from the federal government under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
The Federal Railroad Administration has warned that all work the agency does remains “at risk” of nonpayment, a spokesman said, leading the state to conclude the administration is unlikely to meet its obligations.
A state railroad official said the federal government had slowed the project “by increasing costs and delays without adding value.”
“Moving forward without involvement from the Trump Administration allows the Authority to build on proven global best practices that have been used successfully by modern high-speed rail systems around the world,” the spokesperson said. said in a statement to the Los Angeles ABC affiliate.
Approved by voters in 2008 with an expected price tag of $33 billion, the project has grown to an expected price tag of $128 billion, according to a Bloomberg report.
“An inspector general report released earlier this year found that the system is unlikely to begin serving passengers on its first segment by 2033 and faces a multibillion-dollar funding gap even before losing federal aid,” the report added.
President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have called California's high-speed rail a “train to nowhere.”
“The railroad we were promised still doesn’t exist and never will,” Trump wrote on its social media platform Truth Social in July. “This project was vastly overpriced, over-regulated and never got off the ground.”
Co-author Lowell Coffiel is a bestselling Los Angeles crime fiction author. Below the line and nine other crime and non-fiction novels. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
