FRESNO, CA (KMJ) As Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy ramp up cost-cutting measures at DOGE, one of the biggest projects in US history could be on the chopping block – California’s long-troubled High Speed Rail.
In the tweet below Ramaswamy made no bones about his feelings:
Former President (and now President-elect) Donald Trump rescinded approximately $1 billion in federal funds for the HSR project in 2019, but that decision was overturned under the Biden administration.
The L.A. Times reports the project is now $100 billion over budget, with no completion date set.
California voters approved the initial funding in 2008. But what started as a $33 billion plan nearly 17 years ago has since ballooned to over $100 billion, with continuous delays and leadership turnover.
Originally, the goal was to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco in under three hours, but even after billions have been spent, the rail remains incomplete, with only 119 miles under construction, mostly here in the Central Valley.
Musk and Ramaswamy have stated their goal is for the Department of Government Efficiency to slash $2 trillion in federal spending and as much as 75% of the federal workforce.
