Bullet Train Baggage | The American Spectator

On July 16, the Trump administration “terminated approximately $4 billion in unspent federal funding for California’s High Speed Rail Boondoggle. After 16 years and roughly $15 billion spent, not one high-speed track has been laid by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA).” Bullet train bosses were quick to respond.
“Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong, it’s illegal,” claimed CEO Ian Choudri, threatening a lawsuit. For Governor Gavin Newsom, “Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley. We won’t let him. With projects like the Texas high-speed rail failing to take off, we are miles ahead of others. We’re now in the track-laying phase and building America’s only high-speed rail. California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action.”
That invites a look at what Newsom and rail bosses are not telling the people. Consider the reports of former California State Auditor Elaine Howle on the rail project’s contracting and cost-control practices. (RELATED: California’s Elaine Howle — DOGE Before DOGE Was Cool)
CHSRA’s “flawed decision making” and “poor contract management” have contributed to “billions of dollars in cost overruns for completing the system.” Construction began in October 2013 despite the fact that “the Authority had not acquired sufficient land for building, had not determined how it would relocate utility systems, and had not obtained agreements with external stakeholders.”  These unmitigated risks “contributed to $600 million in cost overruns,” and  CHSRA officials “cannot demonstrate that the large amounts it has spent on its contracts have been necessary or appropriate.” (RELATED: Jerry Brown Still Backs Bankrupt Bullet Train)
As Howle also noted, California’s “noncompetitive request,” for $3 million, “did not provide a valid reason why this vendor alone could meet the state’s needs.” Approving “a noncompetitive request that could have been competitively bid” potentially resulted i…