President Trump on California High-Speed Rail: 'We want that money back now'

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- One day after Governor Gavin Newsom's state of the state address, where he announced a curtail in the construction of the High-Speed Rail, President Donald Trump claims the state of California owes the federal government money.

In a tweet on Wednesday, President Trump said: "California has been forced to cancel the massive bullet train project after having spent and wasted many billions of dollars. They owe the Federal Government three and a half billion dollars. We want that money back now. Whole project is a 'green' disaster!"

Governor Newsom responded to the president on Twitter:

The High-Speed Rail project will now be built from Merced to Bakersfield.

In his address, Newsom said, "Let's be real. The project, as currently planned, would cost too much and take too long. There's been too little oversight and not enough transparency. Right now, there simply isn't a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A. I wish there were. However, we do have the capacity to complete a high-speed rail link between Merced and Bakersfield."

The Governor later said that a line connecting the Bay Area to southern California will eventually be constructed, but for now, the focus is on the Central Valley.