Maglev Train Halted: Secretary of Transportation Announces End to Funding for Proposed High-Speed Rail Line
Prince George’s County leaders are celebrating after the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) officially announced that it will not take further action with the Maglev train project, a proposed high-speed rail system that aimed to move commuters between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore within 30 minutes at speeds over 300 miles per hour.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy cited the costs for the project as reason for the cancellation in a press release and a notice was filed to the Federal Register on July 31 to rescind the Notice of Intent (NOI) for the project.
“This outcome is a tremendous victory for our communities,” Prince George’s County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (D-District 1), who long opposed the project, said in a statement. “For years, residents across District 1 [and] beyond voiced serious concerns about the environment, social, [and] economic consequences of this ill-conceived proposal.”
This project has been under study since 2016, although those studies have been paused multiple times.
The FRA found that nine federal agencies and several government facilities, including Anne Arundel’s Fort George G. Meade, would be in the proposed pathway of the maglev train.
“Following extensive consultation with these agencies, the railroad administration determined the direct effects would have substantial negative effects to agency operations or to important resources managed by federal agencies,” read the notice posted by the FRA. “In addition, indirect effects would also significantly impair critical infrastructure and operations and ongoing agency missions.”
Paul Wiedefeld, who resigned from his post as Maryland’s secretary of transportation effective Aug. 1, announced that the Maryland Department of Transportation will comply with the FRA’s decision.
Citizens Against SCMaglev, a community group that opposed the project, had previously distributed flyers and knocked doors to inform neighbors in past years about the potential negatives of the proposed maglev, including environmental and eminent domain concerns.
Councilmember Jolene Ivey (D-At-large) and the 22nd District Delegation also posted statements applauding the decision to cancel the project.
“I have never supported the Maglev project because of the harm it would cause to the communities in our county. From the beginning, it was clear that the costs to our neighborhoods and environment would be substantial,” Ivey noted. “I fully support advancements in transportation technology, but not when they come at the expense of the very people they are meant to serve.”
However, some legislators and residents supported the project, with certain studies estimating the job would bring billions in investment and create over 70,000 construction jobs in Maryland.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) embarked to Japan earlier this year for a trade mission, during which he rode on a Maglev train, calling the transportation system “an impressive and innovative technology.”
“It’s not new,” Moore told WTOP shortly after his international trade mission. “It’s been going on there for 50 years, and it’s not risky. They’ve had 50 years and really have not had a single injury or casualty with a train that is moving north of 300 miles an hour, where you can get from Baltimore, for example, to D.C. in just 16 minutes.”
Rep. Ivey, Del. Martinez Sound Alarm: Medicaid Cuts Will Negatively Impact Prince George’s
Maryland Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey and Del. Ashanti Martinez (D- District 22) hosted a joint townhall in Greenbelt on July 30 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Medicaid and ensure constituents are aware of impending cuts to health care and services that will deeply impact the region and Americans nationwide.
“We reflected on how [Medicaid] has protected families in Prince George’s County and committed to expanding access and defending our neighbors despite harmful federal cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill,” Martinez wrote in a Facebook post.
As a result of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” heavily backed by Republican lawmakers, roughly 10 million Americans are expected to lose healthcare coverage by 2034, and these cuts are expected to strain services and necessitate facility closures, while also raising health care costs for states including Maryland and California.
Medicaid, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” agenda, passed through the House of Representatives’ Health and Education Committee in 1965, chaired by the late legendary New York congressman and civil rights icon Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Intended for low-income families and children, Medicaid has helped expand access to health services for the past six decades across America.
“Medicare and Medicaid led not only to desegregating, but elevating life expectancy across the states and reducing disparities among racial and ethnic minorities, women, children, older adults, and people with disabilities,” global health expert Daniel Dawes told The Guardian, about the long-term impacts of Medicaid.
During the informative and celebratory event, the congressman acknowledged the confusion and concern among constituents who attended the town hall. He also warned of slashes to services and potential facility shutdowns as the health care cuts are gradually phased in.
“The bottom line is that millions of Americans will lose access to health care based on these changes. There are nearly one trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare across the country, and we will see the impact of that,” Rep. Ivey said in an interview with MSNBC.
The congressman noted that Republicans wrote the bill to ensure that it will be implemented following the 2026 midterm elections.
“It’s critical for Democrats,” Ivey continued, “to make sure we keep telling people about what’s coming, to give us a chance to prevent the cuts that are being made.”
Comptroller Lierman, State Officials Raise Awareness of Marylanders Missing Out on Low-Income Tax Credits
In an effort for more Maryland families to utilize the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) will be partnering with the Urban Institute and Tax Policy Center to spread the word among state tax filers.
The comptroller held a special announcement, alongside Gov. Wes Moore (D), House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D- District 10), Special Secretary for the Governor’s Office for Children Carmel Martin, and researchers to encourage more Marylanders to claim these tax credits.
This announcement was a continuation of the “Earn It” campaign, started in January to raise awareness, as at least 99,000 eligible tax filers in Maryland did not claim the state EITC during the 2023 tax season, according to the comptroller’s office.
“As the state’s chief revenue administrator, otherwise known as the tax collector, I believe that our responsibility extends far beyond simply collecting revenue.We must ensure that eligible families understand and can access programs like the EITC and the child tax credit,” said Lierman.
The state leaders’ efforts to spread word this year have led to a roughly 8% increase in EITC filers.
Moore highlighted these tax credits as a way for working families to keep cash in their pockets.
“At a time when we see the federal government abandoning working families and children in poverty, Maryland is stepping up. The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit are two of the most effective poverty-fighting programs we have,” said Moore. “In partnership with Comptroller Lierman, we are studying the data to ensure that every Marylander who is eligible for these critical financial supports can access them, easily and effectively.”