Cornyn opposes federal funding for Austin light-rail project as grants remain pending

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said he opposes federal funding for Austin’s planned $7 billion light-rail system, whose fate relies heavily on such support.

Cornyn, a Texas Republican facing Attorney General Ken Paxton in a primary runoff next month, made the comments Thursday during an interview on KLBJ-AM’s “Todd and Oz Show” after co-host Todd Jeffries criticized Project Connect as a “a mere shadow of its original self.”

“It’s not what the voters voted on and the price tag has ballooned like crazy,” Jeffries said. “Do you support federal funding for Project Connect here in Austin?

“No, I don’t,” Cornyn said. “Austin is the blueberry in the tomato soup, and obviously the City Council has run amok and needs to be reined in, and maybe this is just the latest example. We don’t need this sort of project along with the profligate spending.”

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/business/transportation/article/cornyn-opposes-project-connect-funding-22216083.php