WASHINGTON — Five members of California’s congressional delegation have written U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, urging approval of a $536 million grant request by the California High-Speed Rail Authority for tunnel design work.
U.S. Sens. Alex Pedilla and Adam Schiff, and U.S. Reps. Pete Aguilar, Jim Costa, and Zoe Lofgren — all Democrats — said the money, along with about $134 million from the state, would fund preparations for tunnel work north and south of the initial Central Valley segment under construction.
“By preparing for future final design and construction of complex tunnels in this corridor, the Project will advance both state and federal goals to improve safety, expand economic strength and global competitiveness, address equity issues, and implement sustainability practices to confront climate change,” the five legislators said in a Dec. 20 letter. “These investments will continue to support living wage jobs, provide small business opportunities, and equitably enhance the mobility of communities in need — including disadvantaged agricultural communities — all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
The project was awarded $3.1 billion in Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail funding last year [see “California high speed project to receive …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 6, 2024]. The legislators’ letter says the federal government has provided $6.8 billion in funding so far, along with $22 billion from the state.
A sense of urgency on the part of the five Democrats is understandable. Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, advisors for President-elect Donald Trump, have made it clear the California high speed project will be a target of their plans to cut federal spending, citing it on the X.com feed for their unofficial “Department of Government Efficiency.” And the program has been a frequent target of congressional Republicans, most recently with a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) to block further federal money [see “Legislator seeks to block federal funding …,” News Wire, Dec. 11, 2024].
Mr. Pinckney- So you do believe that private enterprise is the only savior of HSR? Then the Hwys & aviation should be turned over to private enterprise also since there is a strong need for them & the Govt deficit could be reduced by selling/leasing these product/svcs to entrepreneurs. Privatize the Air traffic control system, TSA, sell/lease the Interstates for conversion to toll roads managed by private entrepreneurs they could all be operated more efficiently by private investors. My history reference is correct perhaps your source is skewed.
There seems to always be a certain bloc of people on this site who seem opposed to ANY talk of high speed rail in this country. Is it you feel it is beyond this country’s ability to do it or is it just the price/investment?? Too bad they didn’t listen to people like you who were just as opposed to the Interstate Hwy system so they had to misrepresent it as a military necessity (LMAO!) Do you seriously think private investors are going to take up such a project when their air & hwy competition is funded with taxpayer $$$’s? Or is it your yearning to preserve the current uneven playing field as it will always favor the status quo air/hwys with rail perpetually hobbled from meaningful growth?
I don’t think the issue is high speed rail per se but rather its implementation. Don’t say a project will be finished in x years at y cost and then many years after it was sold to the public as having been completed it has no trains running, not even equipment on hand, and its sunk cost has increased astronomically. I’ve felt that it would be much better to have an improved system rather than the moon — a system that ran at minimum at say 90 mph averaged over all stops, rather than a 150 mph system that is still a dream.
I have nothing against HSR. Indeed, if there’s a need for a product/service, the entrepreneurs have always been quick to seek investment capital to build and provide the product/service.
As for the “misrepresentation as a military necessity”, I suggest you review the history of the 20th century. Both in the U.S. and Germany.
A serious discussion, i.e., pros and cons would be desirable.
Don’t waste one more cent of taxpayer money on this project !
I don’t doubt that the Biden / Buttigieg administration will grant these funds in its remaining scandal-ridden three weeks. The question is, will Trump be able to claw it back?
Hopefully Trump will demand that every single penny of federal moneys sunk into this project will be returned.
Biden, Buttigieg and Newsom are three of the worst American politicians since this republic was founded.
I guess Andrew Jackson, Herbert Hoover, and Donald Trump don’t count on your list of ‘worst politicians in US history’? The originator of the Trail of Tears (among MANY other things he did wrong), the ‘fiddling while Rome burned’ guy from the start of the Great Depression, and the man who wasted valuable time (and lives!) during a world-wide pandemic by hoping it would just go away.
If you want people to take you seriously, Charles, stop drinking the kool-aid.
Okay Alex, I’ll add John C. Calhoun and Woodrow Wilson. If you need some Republicans, I’ll throw in Douglass MacArthur, Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Matt Gaetz, MTG, and Joe McCarthy.
As for Pete Buttigieg, it’s his ridiculous policies I object to, not his character or integrity.
@ Alex Jenkins. I think you need to bone up on your history. The “Trail of Tears” was not a Andrew Jackson creation, he was able to grant them Federal territory land w/o Congressional approval, but it was the Congress who refused his requests for funding to transport the tribes from Georgia to Oklahoma, much to his behest. Unfortunately they were forced to walk.
Research shows that the then President in 1929 & 1930 had little power to stop the depression from happening. It was the Federal Reserve who actually did the damage by restricting the money supply when the markets crashed. This caused a run on credit and therefore all of the banks. The Federal Reserve was run by a bunch of old school bankers who thought the market crash would put them at risk, so they with held short term credit. This is one reason people think the Fed is unconstitutional. Fortunately our understanding of the money supply is much more robust now.
As for Covid, i think we (globally) are still collectively trying to understand the elements that played out in determining the responses. Like the Depression, it was a few years of study before it was fully understood how it played out. The jury is still out unfortunately.