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California’s high-speed rail project was once hailed as the future of transportation by Governor Gavin Newsom and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But now, it’s becoming increasingly clear that their optimism was misguided. Duffy has pulled no punches in his assessment of the situation, calling out California’s leadership for turning the rail project into a money pit.
“Look what happened in California. It’s a waste of money. I want to invest in good projects,” Duffy told the Washington Examiner. “The liberal mindset, who wants high-speed rail, you would think they would want to do it really, really well, and they do it like s***. And the question is, why? I don’t know.”
These harsh words are a direct jab at the Democrats who continue to push for more government-funded projects that rarely deliver results. Duffy’s comments reflect a broader pattern of rail projects across blue cities and states—projects that consistently run over budget and behind schedule.
“You should try to sell people on your ideas, not make them go, ‘These are black holes where people get rich and projects don’t get built,’” he added. It’s a powerful statement that highlights the trust deficit between voters and the politicians who promise the world but fail to deliver.
The project, once a symbol of California’s progressive vision, is now teetering on the brink of collapse. Newsom has admitted that the rail line will require federal funding to be completed, but California is running out of money. In a desperate move, the project has been scaled back to focus on a route running from Bakersfield to Merced, with the hope of eventually expanding to Los Angeles and San Francisco. But even this scaled-back version needs a hefty $7 billion infusion to move forward.
“California doesn’t have the money. I can’t imagine the DOT is going to send them additional cash,” Duffy said. “They don’t even have a time frame and when this could be completed.”
Duffy’s remarks reflect the grim reality that California’s financial mismanagement and a bloated bureaucracy have left the high-speed rail project on life support. For taxpayers, the idea that the Trump administration might have to bail out California is a bitter pill to swallow, particularly given the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the project.
The project’s troubles have not gone unnoticed internationally. In 2022, French state-owned company SNCF withdrew from the project, citing the difficulty of doing business in California. Dan McNamara, the SNCF Project Manager, explained, “There were so many things that went wrong. SNCF was very angry. They told the state they were leaving for North Africa, which was less politically dysfunctional. They went to Morocco and helped them build a rail system.”
If a major international corporation finds it easier to build rail systems in a North African country than in California, it speaks volumes about the dysfunction and failure of California’s political and regulatory environment. When the state is losing business partners to less developed nations, it’s clear that the state’s high-speed rail project is not just a failure—it’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of government overreach and unchecked spending.
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What’s happening in California is not just a local issue; it’s a warning for the entire country. As Duffy points out, rail projects in liberal states are consistently plagued by delays, cost overruns, and corruption. The failure of California’s high-speed rail project is a prime example of why Americans should be skeptical of government-funded infrastructure projects, especially those pushed by progressive elites.
It’s time to take a hard look at where taxpayer money is going and demand accountability from those who promise the moon but can’t even deliver a functional rail line. The failure of California’s high-speed rail is a wake-up call—one that Americans across the country should pay attention to before it’s too late.
The project’s mismanagement and the state’s financial struggles serve as a glaring example of what happens when government takes on too much and fails to deliver. Until California gets its act together, the high-speed rail will remain a cautionary tale—one that other states should learn from if they want to avoid repeating California’s costly mistakes.
