The Trump administration wants to redistribute $2.4 billion I pulled it From California High-speed railway project As part of the new $5 billion program, it was announced on Monday to fund the rail project, increasing railroad rail traffic across the country.
Rules for new national programs and others who wish to participate will remove diversity and climate change references that date back to the Biden administration. The new program will also prioritize projects in areas with high birth and marriage rates, as well as projects that improve safety at railroad intersections.
The Trump administration removed climate change and so-called DEI languages from other grant requirements, and Transport Secretary Sean Duffy took a jab with that Biden-era language and his announcement on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s railroad project.
“Our new National Railway Partnership Program highlights safety (our top priority) without radical… DEI and Green grant requirements. Instead of wasting dollars on GovernorNewsom’s high-speed rail Boondoggle, these eligible investments will improve the lives of railway passengers, local drivers, and Pedestrians,” says Duffy.
The biggest part of this money, announced by the Federal Railroad Administration, comes from the $4 billion drawn from the California Project. The rest of the money comes from a combination of what was announced last year and what is in this year’s budget.
President Donald Trump and Duffy have criticised the cost overrun of the California Project decades ago and the many delays that maintain trains designed to link San Francisco and Los Angeles to a reality.
California officials said they will fight efforts to redistribut the money they think they should go to their projects. They had already filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw federal funds from the railroad project.
“The FRA’s decision to terminate federal funds for California’s high-speed rail is illegal, unfair and challenged in federal courts. Their attempt to redirect some of that funds, which are currently the subject of the current lawsuit, said Mica Flores, spokesman for California’s high-speed rail authority. “The authorities are prepared for this possibility and will take immediate legal action to block this false effort by the FRA.”
A FRA spokesperson said the focus on areas with high birth rates and marriage rates reflects Trump’s executive order, which makes spending that benefits American families a priority.
The Federal Railroad Administration said it is important to deal with railway intersections. Over 200 people When a train collides with a vehicle or pedestrian at an intersection, the year is killed. It has been a long-standing effort by the government and railways, but building bridges and underground passages that allow cars to safely bypass trucks is expensive.
Money is aimed at improving passenger railroads, but some of it will almost certainly go towards improving the country’s major freight railroads, as Amtrak uses trucks on most long distance routes across the country.
The administration also said it would prioritize projects that would improve the family’s travel experience by adding amenities such as nursing mothers’ rooms, expanded waiting rooms and children’s play areas at train stations.
Applications for this money will be paid by January 7th.
___
Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed to this report from Sacramento, California.
