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DALLAS — President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday terminated a federal grant to help fund a long-sought high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston — saying that if the embattled project moves forward, it will have to do so without federal help at this stage.

The U.S. Department of Transportation nixed a $63.9 million planning grant for the proposed Texas Central route under an agreement between the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the two agencies “are in agreement that underwriting this project is a waste of taxpayer funds and a distraction from Amtrak’s core mission of improving its existing subpar services.”

“The Texas Central Railway project was proposed as a private venture,” Duffy said. “If the private sector believes this project is feasible, they should carry the pre-construction work forward, rather than relying on Amtrak and the American taxpayer to bail them out.”

Kleinheinz Capital Partners, the lead investor in Texas Central, said Monday’s announcement is “good news for the overall project.”

“We agree with Secretary Duffy that this project should be led by the private sector, and we will be proud to take it forward,” the company said in a statement. “This project is shovel-ready and will create significant new jobs and economic growth for Texas as part of President Trump’s efforts to boost the U.S. economy.”

The Texas Central project — first pitched in 2009 as a way to ferry travelers between the state’s two largest urban areas within 90 minutes — has long faced stiff resistance from landowners along the route and state lawmakers who have sought to kill the project.

Texas legislators have filed bills aimed at thwarting the rail line. Meanwhile, the Texas House Transportation Committee subpoenaed Texas Central representatives for information about the company’s finances among other matters — and are set to hear from the company on Thursday.

The project has struggled to obtain the land necessary to build the line as the estimated cost ballooned past $30 billion from an earlier $12 billion estimate. The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday put that cost north of $40 billion.

Texas Central had shown signs of life in recent years when Amtrak revived the project following a leadership exodus.

The company bought its Japanese investors out of the project in January, Andy Jent, a Texas Central representative, told state lawmakers in March. Fort Worth investor John Kleinheinz is now the lead investor in the project, Jent said. Texas Central has acquired about 25% of the parcels needed to build the route, he said.

Peter LeCody, who heads the organization Texas Rail Advocates, was optimistic that the project would move forward despite the lost federal funds.

“Can the private sector do this? Probably,” LeCody said. “Will it need help from any other source? Maybe.”

Disclosure: Texas Central has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

According to the USDA, the one item most commonly purchased with food stamps is Coke — the incredibly sugary drink that other parts of America call soda, pop or soft drinks.

That’s a problem that our state Legislature is moving to solve.

Any day, the Senate will vote on a bill to allow Texas to prohibit the purchase of sugary beverages and unhealthful snacks like candy and potato chips using food stamps. Lawmakers are reacting to the reality that food stamps have become a major cause of our state’s and our country’s health crisis.

All told, about a quarter of food stamp spending — some $25 billion — goes toward this unhealthful food according to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Nearly twice as much money is spent on sweetened beverages, candy and prepared desserts than is spent on fruits and vegetables, according to a report from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). Coke and junk food are known to contribute to obesity, with all the health problems that follow. And children suffer most, since early obesity leads to a lifetime of medical issues.

But food stamp spending on unhealthful food isn’t just a medical and moral crisis. It’s also a monetary crisis for taxpayers. Every dollar in food stamp spending comes from people like you and me. That means we’re funding this health crisis. What’s more, we’re also paying for the resulting health care costs, since most food stamp recipients are also on the taxpayer-funded Medicaid program. Taxpayers are getting hit from two sides.

Medicaid and other taxpayer-funded health programs spent $60 billion a year on obesity-related treatments in 2015 and 2016, according to a study published in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, and that number has almost certainly grown in the past decade.

The numbers are so high, in part, because using food stamps encourages people to buy unhealthful food. FGA research shows that people on the program drink more sugary beverages than those who aren’t, even when they have similar incomes. It’s also the case that food stamp recipients have a higher obesity rate than people who aren’t, again accounting for income.

This is a vicious cycle in which taxpayers are helping to ruin people’s health and then paying for the resulting treatments. Hence state lawmakers are taking action. The bill they’re considering would help lower-income Texans make healthful choices, while protecting every Texas taxpayer from both fueling and treating a health crisis.

Practically, the bill would direct state officials to ask the federal government for permission to prohibit unhealthful foods. The food stamp program is ultimately federal, even though states operate it, so D.C.’s sign-off is necessary. It’s safe to assume the Trump administration would grant the request, given the president’s promise to “Make America Healthy Again” and his appointment of Cabinet officials like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at Health and Human Services, and Brooke Rollins at Agriculture.

Texans aren’t the only ones who are pushing for solutions. Other states are moving to make the same request, showing the groundswell of support for protecting taxpayers and improving public health.

If and when this reform goes into effect, Texans will benefit.

Jay Bhattacharya, the incoming director of the National Institutes of Health, estimates that 141,000 kids wouldn’t become obese and 240,000 adults wouldn’t get Type 2 diabetes with a nationwide prohibition of food stamp purchases of sugary drinks. Prohibiting other unhealthful foods like potato chips would help even more people avoid major health problems.

Lawmakers are right to tackle this crisis. It’s always good to protect taxpayers. But it’s even better to protect taxpayers while empowering vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. The sooner the state Legislature passes this food stamp reform, the stronger and healthier our state will be.

Victoria Eardley, a Dallas resident, is marketing director at the Foundation for Government Accountability.

A city council debate in Texas was cut short earlier this week after organizers and police had to physically intervene to separate two of the candidates.

The Context

District 8 incumbent council member Chris Nettles and his opponent, Payton Jackson, had to be physically separated during the interaction at a debate between two candidates for Fort Worth City Council. It took place before the council elections next month.

Newsweek contacted the District 8 council for comment via email outside of regular working hours.

What To Know

The altercation occurred after Jackson mentioned a civil lawsuit against Nettles, alleging he conspired with her landlord to disclose confidential details from her lease agreement, according to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Nettles denied the claims.

Approximately 100 people attended the debate, which took place in the gymnasium of the Bethlehem Center at 951 Evans Avenue and was organized by the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association.

The exchange began when moderators asked the candidates which neighborhood in the district they lived in.

Jackson, seated to Nettles’ left, used the moment to raise the lawsuit, walking over to Nettles and placing the legal document on his table. Nettles initially looked away, but stood up as Jackson remained by his table. The two pointed fingers at each other until Nettles turned away.

Jackson then placed her left hand on Nettles’ shoulder, appearing to push him, at which point he swatted her hand away. They are seen being separated by other attendees at the meeting, and police officers then stepped in to separate the candidates, according to the Star-Telegram.

According to a report by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Jackson is a former member of Nettles’ campaign staff.

What People Are Saying

Chris Nettles said after the incident, according to a report by Fox 4 News: “I think I acted appropriately by standing up. As she approached me, then I stand up and to protect myself and make sure she doesn’t do anything while I’m sitting down. I think it’s good to have a good debate, a good conversation, but violence is not the answer.”

Payton Jackson said: “He stands up, starts antagonizing me as you can see on the video I walk up to his table. My hands are behind my back. He pushes me and I retaliate. I would never put my hands on anyone, let alone a public official.

“These debates, these forums, they get heated, but I never touched him initially, he touched me first. If I’m in your personal space and you really feel in danger back up, back up. I would never put my hands on anybody, not initially.”

What’s Next

Nettles and Jackson are set to attend another public forum before the Fort Worth City Council elections take place on May 3.