GOP Moves to Kill Obama’s High-Speed Rail

Republicans are working hard to cut government spending, and one area in particular where they’re looking to pull back is President Barack Obama’s effort to provide government spending for high speed rail lines, Politico reports. That’s part of his $53 billion plan to upgrade the nation’s railroad system. The administration’s proposed budget devoted $8 billion to that goal.

But congressional Republicans quickly took aim to kill the plan, and on Wednesday, Florida GOP Gov. Rick Scott squelched the Obama administration’s key demonstration project: an 84-mile high-speed line between Orlando and Tampa.

Scott’s decided to shun $2.4 billion in federal aid for the program, because it won’t create enough jobs. Meanwhile, Ohio and Wisconsin withdrew from the program after last year’s elections, leaving it with little support.