The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has opened an investigation into California’s High-Speed Rail Authority project, following the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw billions in federal funding.
The bipartisan probe will examine whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority knowingly misrepresented ridership projections and financial outlooks to secure federal dollars, as alleged by federal officials.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) requested a staff briefing and all records related to federal funding and any analysis of the train’s viability. Comer wrote:
“The Authority’s apparent repeated use of misleading ridership projections, despite longstanding warnings from experts, raises serious questions about whether funds were allocated under false pretenses.”
The letter also copied Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat, who has expressed skepticism about the project. Garcia was not immediately available for comment.
The rail authority called the investigation “another baseless attempt to manufacture controversy around America’s largest and most complex infrastructure project.” A spokesperson noted that CEO Ian Choudri had previously addressed the claims, calling them “cherry-picked and out-of-date, and therefore misleading.”
Last month, the Trump administration pulled $4 billion in federal funding meant for construction in the Central Valley, citing a review that found “no viable path” forward. Officials also questioned whether the authority’s projected ridership counts were intentionally misrepresented.
California leaders condemned the decision as “illegal” and filed a lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. Governor Gavin Newsom called it “a political stunt” and “a heartless attack on the Central Valley.”
The high-speed rail, first proposed decades ago, aims to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in under three hours. While environmental approvals are complete, no segment of the route is finished. Construction has focused on the Central Valley, where officials hope to open a segment between Merced and Bakersfield by 2033. The project is now about $100 billion over its original $33 billion budget.
Roughly $13 billion has been spent, mostly from state funds, which currently contribute about $1 billion per year. Choudri has emphasized the need for new funding sources and is pursuing public-private partnerships to support the project’s completion.
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