President Donald Trump canceled nearly $1 billion in federal funding for the high-speed rail project in 2019, during his first term. The Biden administration later restored the funding and, in December 2023, allocated $3.3 billion more.

Duffy, who replaced Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary last month, said this portion of the project in the state’s Central Valley is “going to cost California and federal taxpayers between $33 to $35 billion, and at best it won’t be complete until 2033 or 2035, which is way after this whole project was to be completed.”

"Who got rich off this project? Where did those billions of dollars go?" asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in announcing the federal review of the controversial bullet train.