Denham to Offer Amendment to Prohibit Funding for California HSR

Press Release

U.S. Representative Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) today announced his plan to introduce an amendment on Monday, June 9, 2014 to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, H.R. 4745, preventing any appropriated funds from being used for high speed rail in the state of California.

"California's high speed rail project comes nowhere close to what voters supported with Prop 1A in 2008," said Rep. Denham. "Ridership numbers have decreased, ride times have slowed and estimated costs have skyrocketed. The CA HSR Authority has no viable plan to secure state funds or private money and in the meantime has spent billions in taxpayer dollars. Congress cannot authorize spending any more money on a project without a future."

Rep. Denham introduced the Responsible Rail and Deterring Deficiency Act, or H.R. 3893, in January 2014 with the support of every member of the California Republican delegation. The Responsible Rail and Deterring Deficiency Act would suspend all federal funding to California's high speed rail project.

In June of 2012, Rep. Denham offered the same amendment to the THUD appropriations bill for the year 2013, H.R. 5972. His amendment passed the House with a vote of 239-185. He also successfully added an amendment to the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7) in February 2012 ensuring that highway bill dollars could not be spent on California high speed rail.

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