Newsom-backed high-speed rail 'boondoggle' hit with new House investigation

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Newsom fires back after Trump revokes federal funding for California rail project

Fix California senior advisor Katie Zacharia joins 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why she considers the rail project a 'waste of tax dollars,' and the latest on Democrats' effort to unmask ICE agents as they face growing threats.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation into California's costly high-speed rail project.

Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., wrote to the Department of Transportation (DOT) on Tuesday requesting a staff-level briefing, as well as documents related to federal funding that went into the project, which is backed 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.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing back against the Trump administration's crackdown on his state's high-speed rail project. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

California voters approved nearly $10 billion in taxpayer funds via municipal bonds in 2008 for an 800-mile high-speed rail system connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, which was estimated to cost roughly $33 billion. 

But the project, which began under former Gov. Jerry Brown, has been plagued by ballooning costs and delays, with reports indicating the price tag could now be as high as $128 billion. 

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) said it expects trains to begin running in 2030, a decade after the Golden State's initial goal.

It's been a subject of contention between California and the Trump administration, which announced last month that it was pulling $4 billion in unspent federal funds from the project.

"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.

California's high-speed rail project, called a "boondoggle" by the Trump administration, is meant to one day cross this bridge over CA-99 in Fresno. (Reuters)

"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 knocked the project's ridership and revenue estimates, citing reports that called 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 a statement announcing a lawsuit over the $4 billion in blocked funds, Newsom called the move a "political stunt to punish California" and "a heartless attack" on jobs in the state's Central Valley area.

Newsom also signed a law last month requiring the CHSRA to create a funding plan for the sector it's working on currently.

His state budget calls for the high-speed rail project to receive $1 billion in funding each year for the next 20 years to finish its initial segment, according to ABC30.

DOT has estimated the project to eventually cost $135 billion in total and dismissed it as a "boondoggle."

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"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 blockade on unspent federal funds last month.

When reached for comment on Comer's probe, DOT spokesperson Nate Sizemore said the department was looking 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 spokesperson for the CHSRA told Fox News Digital the probe was 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.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Newsom's office for comment but did not immediately get a response.