California Gov. Gavin Newsom is aiming to shore up the state’s embattled high-speed rail line as President Donald Trump slashes federal funding for it, turning it into another policy battle between the two.
Newsom and Democratic lawmakers allocated $1 billion annually for the project from the state’s cap-and-trade greenhouse gas emissions reduction program in a last-minute deal he brokered before the legislature adjourned on Sept. 13. They view the project as a jobs program that will also significantly reduce pollution from travel between the Bay Area and the Los Angeles region.
“We’re going to get this done, even if Donald ...