Obama to GOP governors: No train, no federal funds

Obama to GOP governors: No train, no federal funds: "Excellent. While there may be valid criticism of a 79 mph train in this day and age, the idea of a train in Ohio still makes sense. As someone who lived in the Buckeye state and who has used the Amtrak trains in the northeast plus the European rail system, I'm a big supporter of using trains. It's amusing to see the Republicans have the nerve to still ask for the money even though they do little besides complain about federal spending.

The Obama administration has a message for Republican governors who campaigned against the president's high-speed rail program: Build the trains or give back the money.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday rejected a request from Gov.-elect John Kasich in Ohio to use the $400 million in federal funds pledged to that state's train project on other projects like road construction or freight lines.

'I would like high-speed rail to be part of Ohio's future,' LaHood wrote. But if the state won't go forward, it's necessary 'to wind down Ohio's involvement in the project so that we do not waste taxpayers' money,' he said.

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