Doug LaMalfa Decries ‘Runaway Spending’ Of CA High-Speed Rail With Limited Infrastructure Progress

During House floor remarks last week, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) spoke about California’s high-speed rail projects.

Transcript

00:00John seeking out of consent address the house one without objection the

00:07gentleman is recognized for one minute thank you madam speaker in California

00:13we have this high-speed rail project I call it high-cost rail because it's

00:17become a symbol of runaway spending and is indeed a complete boondoggle back

00:22when the original bond was passed in 2008 by a narrow margin by the voters of

00:26California about a nine billion dollar bond the rail is supposed to be a total

00:31cost of 33 billion from San Francisco to LA it has ballooned up to a hundred and

00:36thirty billion dollars of projected costs and that was 17 years ago and so far

00:42there's hardly any infrastructure has been built so what do you have over 17

00:47years they managed to raise about 17 billion dollars from cap and trade tax in

00:52California and two different disbursements from the Democrat

00:56presidencies so in 17 years check this raised 17 billion dollars they're short

01:03a hundred and ten billion dollars to complete the project not only that

01:07they're at least 25 years behind it's supposed to been done by 2020 and now

01:11they project oh maybe we'll have the first segment from Merced to a town called

01:15Shafter somewhere near Bakersfield done by maybe 2035 or 2040 I mean and they're

01:22going to come back to DC for more money not a chance this thing needs to be stopped

01:28and put it into infrastructure people need like freeways and stuff like that you'll

01:32back thank you for what purposes does the

01:36gentlewoman from Ohio seek recognition