High-speed rail in California would have been nice. Sure, it’d be cool to zip along in under three hours from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

But don’t hold your breath—this is the formerly Golden State, and despite voters approving the rail line in a 2008 ballot initiative, billions upon billions of federal and state dollars have been thrown at the project and yet it’s barely a quarter complete. The first operational segment, a 171-mile segment stretch between Merced and Bakersfield (because somehow that’s an incredibly important commuter path?), is now expected to be operational between 2030 and 2033. 

Sure, I believe you. 

DOGE’s Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have already put the project on their target list, and on Monday, CA GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley decided he’s seen enough too and filed the “No More Funds for California High Speed Rail Act”:

Today I’m officially introducing the No More Funds for California High Speed Rail Act. This disastrous project has embarrassed our state and robbed our taxpayers long enough. pic.twitter.com/cd2sSC8poJ

— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) January 6, 2025

He said in a statement posted to his website:

“California’s high-speed rail project has failed because of political incompetence, and there is no plausible scenario where the cost to federal or state taxpayers can be justified,” Rep. Kiley said. “Our share of federal transportation funding should go towards real infrastructure needs, such as improving roads that rank among the worst in the country.”

Gavin Newsom‘s high speed rail may be $100 billion over budget and two decades behind schedule but that’s not going to stop him from calling the notion of Trump pulling funding a “Big Yawn” pic.twitter.com/irR5drdMAN

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 6, 2025

Other GOP reps. have also expressed concern over the ridiculous delays and cost overruns:

Representative Sam Graves of Missouri, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has criticized the project’s costs and funding strategies. In a statement to Newsweek, Graves described the rail line as a “highly troubled project” and raised concerns about its reliance on government subsidies.

He pointed out that the current funding supports only a limited segment between Merced and Bakersfield, which he estimated will cost $35 billion.

“Full cost estimates [for Phase 1, between San Francisco and Anaheim] now exceed $100 billion and growing,” Graves said, calling for a comprehensive review of the project before any additional funding is allocated.

Since Newsom is well… Newsom, he doesn’t care about the fact that the state is out of money and the project has been an unmitigated disaster—he vows to continue throwing as much other people’s dollars as he can at it and hope that someday it magically gets completed.

Gavin Newsom 2010: California is going to get it right with this new high speed rail.

(15 years & 128 BILLION taxpayer dollars later)

Gavin Newsom 2025: It’s about damn time we have a high speed rail system in the great state of California

Reality: There is no high speed rail pic.twitter.com/yBXNTgZLSn

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 7, 2025

Blah blah blah. I’m not going to transcribe the above videos because I don’t believe a word that comes out of Newsom’s mouth.

This is the California way. Thankfully, we dodged a bullet in November, and whether or not Kiley’s bill passes, it’s doubtful that under a Trump administration and a GOP congress that the federal government is going to keep piling on billions for a track that goes to nowhere. 

There is simply no reason for Americans across the fruited plain to be subsidizing this level of failure.