Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Federal Stimulus

New Orleans GOPer Still Sore at Jindal For Saying No to High-Speed Rail

Louisiana Republican Rep. Anh Cao (R) recently appeared with local Democrats at a press conference urging Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) to reconsider his refusal to support a high-speed rail link between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. But it seems that Cao hasn't given up on prodding his fellow Republican.

caojpg_ee2c676f4567074e_small.jpgRep. Anh Cao (R-LA) (Photo: Times-Picayune)

"I was thoroughly disappointed when my state failed to file a" final high-speed rail application by the Oct. 2 deadline, Cao said today at a hearing of the House transportation committee's railroads panel.

Cao called the proposed rail link a potentially "huge economic boost to the region," adding: "We worked very hard to secure support for the project [from] municipal governments as
well as parish governments ... at a time when the state does not have
money to do so."

Yet even if Jindal had followed up on his state DOT's initial plan to link New Orleans with the state capital, Louisiana's chance of securing a slice of the $8 billion economic stimulus fund for high-speed rail would remain very much up in the air. Lawmakers at today's hearing directly warned the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) to avoid spreading itself too thin in awarding rail grants.

"I don't want to see 'bridges to nowhere' when it comes to high-speed rail," Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL) said, referencing the famous Alaskan congressional earmark that would have connected drivers to an island with a population of less than 100.

Rep. Bud Shuster (R-PA), Brown's fellow senior member on the railroads panel, echoed her concerns. Distributing high-speed rail money to "too many different places," he said, risks diluting the impact of the $8 billion stimulus fund.

Another reality check on the relative limits of $8 billion came from Susan Fleming, physical infrastructure director at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Fleming reminded the railroads panel that the stimulus law's high-speed rail fund "represents only a small fraction of the estimated costs for starting or enhancing service on the nation’s 11 federally authorized high speed rail corridors."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts