House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyOvernight Energy: Solar installations dropped in 2018 | UN report says rising Arctic temperatures ‘locked in’ | Fiat Chrysler to recall 850K vehicles Civil liberties advocate says Congress should revoke NSA authority to collect phone records Tucker Carlson says ‘we will never bow to the mob’ amid resurfaced comments MORE (R-Calif.) praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday for abandoning plans to build a massive high-speed rail line he dubbed a “train to nowhere.”
“The train to nowhere is finally stopped,” McCarthy tweeted. “This is the right move by @GavinNewsom.”
“I look forward to working w/ Governor Newsom and federal officials in the coming weeks to best mitigate what has already been wasted on high-speed rail due to the previous Administration,” he added.
McCarthy’s remarks came hours after Newsom, in his first State of the State address, asked legislators to scale back plans for a high-speed rail project that aimed to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The massive infrastructure plan was a legacy of his predecessor, fellow Democrat Jerry Brown.
Newsom said California should instead focus on a line in the Central Valley between Merced and Bakersfield.
“Right now, there simply isn’t a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A. I wish there were,” Newsom said. “We’ll connect the revitalized Central Valley to other parts of the state, and continue to push for more federal funding and private dollars. But let’s get something done once and for all.”
The beleaguered high-speed rail project, initially approved by voters in 2008, has been beset by construction delays and cost overruns.
McCarthy, who is from Bakersfield, has frequently criticized the infrastructure project, which he has called a “colossal waste of precious taxpayer dollars.”