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.

"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.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the California high-speed rail project will continue to cost taxpayers billions of dollars with no definitive timeline for completion.