Well, well, well—look who finally figured out that not every shiny train deserves a blank check.
In a rare but welcome instance of federal-level fiscal sanity, the U.S. Department of Transportation slammed the brakes on a $63.9 million grant earmarked for the so-called Texas Central High-Speed Rail project. You know, the one that was supposed to connect Dallas and Houston with a futuristic, Japanese-style bullet train and instead ended up as a bloated, taxpayer-funded fantasy? Yeah, that one.
Now, let’s be clear—this high-speed rail scheme was sold to Texans as a private sector marvel. A slick, fast train that would revolutionize travel in the Lone Star State, backed by private investors and insulated from the grubby clutches of big government.
That was the sales pitch. But like so many utopian infrastructure dreams, it didn’t take long for the business model to slip from “market-driven innovation” to “please, Uncle Sam, bail us out.” And once Washington got involved, the numbers ballooned and the feasibility nosedived. Color us shocked.
Thankfully, Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy finally did something right. He made it crystal clear that underwriting this project would be nothing short of a wasteful experiment on the taxpayers’ dime.
And let’s be honest—Amtrak doesn’t exactly have a stellar record of keeping things on track (pun fully intended). The last thing we need is another money pit that gives the D.C. bureaucrat class something to fawn over while it drains billions from productive Americans.
And while Democrats were probably drafting poetic tweets about how this was a “setback for climate justice” or some other buzzwordy nonsense, Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) brought some much-needed Texas bluntness to the conversation.
“It’s over!” he said on X, and you could almost hear the sighs of relief from every hard-working Texan who’s sick of watching their tax dollars get funneled into elite pet projects that have more to do with optics than outcomes.
Let’s not forget, this $63.9 million wasn’t just pocket change. It was part of the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program—essentially a piggy bank for rail expansion under the guise of modernization. And while there might be room for smart, targeted infrastructure investments, that doesn’t mean you throw cash at anything with a rail and a press release. If a project can’t make the math work on its own, maybe, just maybe, it shouldn’t exist.
USDOT Sean Duffy:
“Of course we’re going to review California’s high-speed rail project. It’s years behind schedule, wasted billions of taxpayer dollars, and zero high-speed track has been laid.
This isn’t how you sell America on bold ideas—this is how you k!ll them.” pic.twitter.com/7zRoRyiKIw
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) April 2, 2025
Infrastructure spending would prioritize results, accountability, and self-sufficiency in a sane world. You’d think that would be common sense. But for too long, Washington has treated infrastructure funding like a magic wand: wave it around, and voilà—economic growth, climate salvation, and social equity all in one overpriced package. The problem? The wand doesn’t work, and the bills are very real.
So yes, this grant’s cancellation is a victory. A victory for fiscal responsibility. A win for taxpayers. And, believe it or not, a glimmer of hope that someone in Washington still remembers how to say “no.” If Texas Central wants to build a bullet train, great. Let the free market take the wheel. But don’t ask working Americans to foot the bill for a project that should’ve never veered off the private track to begin with.
