The House Oversight Committee has announced an investigation into California’s high-cost high-speed rail project.
Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) on Tuesday requesting a staff-level briefing, along with documents related to federal funding for the project, which is supported by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“As part of our investigation, we are seeking to understand whether the Authority knowingly misrepresented the ridership projections and the associated financial viability of the California High-Speed Rail Project (CHSR Project) to secure federal and state funds,” Comer wrote to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
California voters approved nearly $10 billion in taxpayer funds via municipal bonds in 2008 to build an 800-mile high-speed rail system connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, initially estimated to cost around $33 billion.
However, the project, which began under former Gov. Jerry Brown, has faced major cost overruns and delays, with current estimates placing the price tag as high as $128 billion. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) now expects trains to begin service in 2030, roughly a decade later than originally planned.
The project has been a point of tension between California and the Trump administration, which announced last month that it was reclaiming $4 billion in unspent federal funds.
“To date, not one route is complete and the CHSRA Project is facing financial collapse, but now CHSRA is claiming they will begin service in Central Valley in 2032. Current cost estimates range from $89 billion to $128 billion,” Comer wrote.
“Despite this, the Biden administration committed roughly $4 billion in federal taxpayer dollars to the CHSR Project, including almost $89.65 million dollars in the closing days of the administration.”
Comer also criticized the project’s ridership and revenue estimates, noting reports that called the projections “absurdly high” and “unrealistic.”
“The Authority’s apparent repeated use of misleading ridership projections, despite longstanding warnings from experts, raises serious questions about whether funds were allocated under false pretenses. Despite the massive cost overruns and lack of progress, CHSRA sued the FRA to prevent the termination of these funds, and the litigation is ongoing,” Comer wrote.
In response to the blocked federal funds, Newsom described the move as a “political stunt to punish California” and “a heartless attack” on jobs in the Central Valley.
Last month, Newsom signed a law requiring the CHSRA to develop a funding plan for the portion of the project currently under construction. His state budget also proposes $1 billion in funding each year for the next 20 years to complete the initial segment, according to ABC30.
DOT has projected the total cost of the project could reach $135 billion and has labeled it a “boondoggle.”
“This is California’s fault. Governor Newsom and the complicit Democrats have enabled this waste for years. Federal dollars are not a blank check – they come with a promise to deliver results,” Duffy said in a statement announcing the freeze on unspent federal funds last month.
DOT spokesperson Nate Sizemore said the department looks forward to working with House Republicans.
“Secretary Duffy thanks Chairman Comer for his leadership in investigating the California High-Speed Rail Authority and the agency’s apparent use of misleading ridership metrics. The Department looks forward to fully cooperating with the Committee’s briefing and document requests. The American people deserve accountability for this boondoggle,” Sizemore said.
A CHSRA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the probe is a “baseless attempt to manufacture controversy around America’s largest and most complex infrastructure project.”
“The Authority has already addressed these recycled criticisms in its response to the FRA’s compliance review supported by facts, noting the ridership critiques are ‘nonsensical,’ ‘cherrypicked and out-of-date, and therefore misleading,'” the spokesperson said.
