$14B and Zero Progress Later, California Drops High-Speed Rail Lawsuit

PJ MEDIA ^ | 12/27/25 | Catherine Salgado

[SeekAndFind]

California’s Democrat government has finally dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration for more funding of its high-speed rail project. Unfortunately, at least $14 billion — if not $18 billion — of taxpayer money is down the tubes with nothing to show for it, and the Democrats are still hoping to put the project on life support.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) posted in mixed triumph and exasperation on X Friday, “Newsom just conceded defeat over High-Speed Rail [HSR]. He's withdrawn the lawsuit he filed after we cut off federal funding earlier this year. Now the $4 billion can go to our roads rather the train. The cost of HSR has grown to $128 billion as no track has been laid in 17 years.”

Unfortunately, despite the lawsuit failure, California Democrats are still searching for money they don’t have for the project.

The Trump administration said the $4 billion more could not go to a project with “no viable plan” for completion. How cruel!!!

As of September, the Los Angeles Times reported that $14 billion has been the price tag to this point, but aside from employing a few thousand workers, that money accomplished nothing. There is no railway and no train. The perfect example of pure Democrat grift, a project that lines elites’ pockets and creates the illusion of increased employment without ever meeting any goals or building any infrastructure.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: california; democratcorruption; democratincompetence; fraud; grift; highspeedrail; hsr; rail; ripoff; scam

[ClearCase_guy]

But some people got rich.

[cgbg]

Good news.

Hopefully Newsome will finally give up on the greatest boondoogle of the last one hundred years.

[Sparticus]

Newsom and the California legislature owes us hundreds of miles of light rail for our investment. Since that hasn’t happened, Trump should demand the money back.

[ComputerGuy]

California is America’s negative example.

[kiryandil]

Unfortunately, at least $14 billion — if not $18 billion — of taxpayer money is down the tubes with nothing to show for it

The Democraps stole most of it.

[Fungi]

This dyslexic, adulterous. bastard SOB does not have a brain. His only goal is power at any cost.

[Thank You Rush]

Has there ever been an accounting of the $14-$18 billion? Does anyone know where it went? It would be good to know! They must have bought up a lot of property to build it so what happens to that now - to be sold? We need to know TO WHO/WHOM also!!!

[Thank You Rush]

THAT whole idea came from Governor Brown long before anyone knew who Newsom was...

[Secret Agent Man]

He will not do that.

[cgbg]

You may be correct—but Newsome is getting hard up for hard cash for the state—and if he flushes this big turd down the toilet it might help.

[Leaning Right]

Here’s a bridge that was built for California’s high-speed rail project. It took 9 years to build. Notice that it goes nowhere.

Maybe it can be repurposed as a really long bocce court.

[cgbg]

There is this TV show that shows old abandoned construction projects while the audience tries to figure out what it was for—your picture seems like a good future candidate.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

Here’s a bridge that was built for California’s high-speed rail project. It took 9 years to build. Notice that it goes nowhere.

Maybe it can be repurposed as a really long bocce court.

Yes!

In fact, in classic democRAT style, let's form several nonprofits and NGOs dedicated to bocce.

[SharpRightTurn]

California. Nuff said.

[Track9]

When the rats say their economic policies work, they never include the enormous graft it takes to subsidize all the fail they institute. And of course there’s also the outright theft.

[LuxAerterna]

Gruesome Newsom well knows the project was stacked full with fraud, grift, incompetence and feather bedding. A lot of dirty laundry would come out in a contested lawsuit. He doesn’t want to expose himself, or his friends, to criminal responsibility. It could also expose California to countersuits to recover funds that were robbed or squandered.

[sjmjax]

Probably where the Somalis in Minnesota got their inspiration.

“If they can steal billions of dollars building a non existent railroad, I bet we can steal a billion dollars by building non existent child care centers for non existent children.”

[Rowdyone]

I’ll bet they decided that discovery would have been problematic if they continued the suit!

[ridesthemiles]

DIANE FEINSTEINS’ S HUSBAND—_RICHARD BLUM-—HAD THE CONTRACT TO BUILD IT.