US: Trump revokes funds for California's high-speed rail

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the US Department of Transportation is cutting $4 billion (€3.4 billion) in federal funding for California's high-speed rail project.

"Not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again," he posted on social media, using a pejorative name for the Democratic California Governor, Gavin Newsom.

Trump also called the project "an ill-conceived and unnecessary project, and a total waste of Taxpayer money."

Meanwhile, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said: "Governor Newsom and California's high speed rail boondoggle are the definition of government incompetence and possibly corruption."

How did California react?

California officials have denounced the action as unlawful. "California is putting all options on the table to fight this," Newsom said in a statement.

"Canceling these grants without cause isn't just wrong — it's illegal," said California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri. "These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation."

The authority stated that the project is "fast approaching the track-laying phase," noting that 171 miles are under active construction and design, 15,500 jobs have been created, and more than 50 major structures have been completed.