California Governor Gavin Newsom is doubling down on the state's high-speed rail ambitions, announcing that 463 miles of the 494-mile project are ready for construction. And he's not shy about taking shots at critics along the way.

The Vision: Fast Trains, No Airport Hassles

In a video posted to X by his press office, Newsom painted an appealing picture: "no TSA lines, no removing your shoes — just fast, clean travel." The governor also took a swipe at Republican-led Texas, which abandoned its own high-speed rail plans. "They couldn't get anything done there, the big Red state of Texas," Newsom said, referring to Governor Greg Abbott's administration.

According to the governor's office, the project has generated over 16,400 good-paying jobs, with roughly 1,700 workers showing up to construction sites each day. Newsom emphasized that this remains the only high-speed rail system of its kind anywhere in the United States.

Federal Funding Evaporates

Here's where things get complicated. President Donald Trump pulled more than $4 billion in federal funding for the project, describing it as "disastrously overpriced." The Transportation Department, led by Sean Duffy, concluded there was no feasible path forward for the rail project to continue with federal support.

Newsom pushed back hard, insisting the project passes all audits regularly and has already entered the track-laying phase. He assured that losing federal funding wouldn't "derail the project." Meanwhile, Duffy celebrated when a California court dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the $4 billion.