As Twitchy reported, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in his State of the State address to the legislature that he’s giving up on statewide high-speed rail from Sacramento to San Diego, citing the project as too costly.
The governor did say, however, that he’d like to build around 165 miles of track in the Central Valley between Bakersfield and Merced, for what that’s worth.
The thing is, that whole high-speed rail boondoggle was subsidized with billions in tax dollars, and President Trump wants the money back if California is giving up on the train.
California has been forced to cancel the massive bullet train project after having spent and wasted many billions of dollars. They owe the Federal Government three and a half billion dollars. We want that money back now. Whole project is a “green” disaster!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2019
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) February 14, 2019
Phil Kerpen brought the receipts:
Make them pay it all back.@SecElaineChao @USDOTFRA pic.twitter.com/jC7uCKoORP
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) February 12, 2019
Hmm… if “the Grantee has misused Federal assistance funds by failing to make adequate progress,” the FRA “reserves the right to require the Grantee to repay the entire amount of FRA funds provided under this Agreement.”
Make California pay it back @realDonaldTrump.
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) February 13, 2019
Federal taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for a not-really high speed Merced to Bakersfield "Acela to Nowhere."
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) February 13, 2019
Why, that's almost enough to get to the $5.7 wall amount…
— RepublicanDore (@RepublicanDore) February 12, 2019
Yep! The CA governor is betting a democrat gets in office in 2020 and passes the green new deal so the train becomes a federal project.
— Reaganette (@Ezinger44) February 13, 2019
Looks like California owes the rest of us a refund.
California high speed rail was just another Solyndra, federal money wasted on progressive cronies.
Get our $3 billion dollars back and spend it on the wall.
— Steph (@steph93065) February 14, 2019
Newsom had to make a choice. California could not afford to keep investing in the bullet train AND health care for illegal aliens. He chose the illegal aliens. California environmentalists got the the boot.
— Steph (@steph93065) February 14, 2019
On behalf of my fellow sane Californians I want to apologize for our disastrous, ineffective, offensive new Governor @GavinNewsom.
I suggest the Feds prosecute him for the theft of $3.5 billion and allow us to recall him and put a competent human being in control of CA!
— David Wohl (@DavidWohl) February 14, 2019
The money was for a high-speed train between Sacramento and San Diego. This train will never be built and next to zero progress has been made. Pay the money back.
Related:
HOLY CRAP! Calif. is abandoning statewide high-speed rail; Gov. Newsom vows to keep $3.5 billion in federal funds https://t.co/VHy6mjPI7p
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 12, 2019