Central Valley leaders react to federal funding cuts for California's high-speed rail

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- High-speed obstruction backing from the national authorities is coming to a screeching halt and the telephone for the cuts came from wrong the state.

Valley U.S. Rep. Vince Fong went to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy himself asking to propulsion $4 cardinal successful backing allocated to the task due to the fact that helium says it's not being utilized well.

"The outgo overruns, the delays, the mismanagement, the unrealistic ridership numbers," said Congressman Fong.

RELATED: Trump medication pulls $4B successful national backing for California's high-speed rail

In June, the California High-Speed Rail Authority said it expected trains to beryllium rolling by 2030, 10 years aft the archetypal extremity and good supra the archetypal estimated outgo of $33 billion.

Now, it's expected to outgo betwixt $89 and $128 billion.

"We could instrumentality $500 cardinal of the $128 cardinal and put it and amended the infrastructure successful downtown Fresno to physique roads, to capable the potholes, to guarantee the vitality of the community," said Fong.

Henry Perea, who sits connected the committee of the High-Speed Rail Authority, said the delays and continually climbing costs are legitimate.

"Some person been delays that were created internally by the enactment and immoderate were created by litigation. These precise politicians that we're talking astir are precise against high-speed rail," said Perea. "We went to the voters and we said 'We request x billions of dollars for high-speed rail.' The existent mentation astatine that clip should person been, 'This is the wealth you request to commencement this program."

Perea has each assurance the authorities volition determination guardant with the project, careless of national backing and they've really been anticipating the cuts.

He said the task is afloat funded for the adjacent 2 years and pointed to Governor Gavin Newsom's existent budget, which would springiness $1 cardinal annually implicit the adjacent 20 years to implicit its archetypal operating segment.

The Governor said the Trump medication is illegally terminating assistance agreements and slammed the determination successful a statement, saying successful part, "We're present successful the track-laying signifier and gathering America's lone high-speed rail. California is putting each options connected the array to combat this amerciable action."

But not everyone successful the authorities assembly approves of the determination to springiness much authorities wealth to the High-speed obstruction project.

Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo from Tulare would similar to spot the wealth spell to different projects.

"It would beryllium large if we could decorativeness the California 99," said Assemblywoman Macedo. "That's been a large task for a agelong time, and additionally, making definite that the roads that we bash person are successful bully moving order."

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