California's high-speed rail now projected to cost over $230B, state GOP lawmaker wants it scrapped

California taxpayers will need to hand over more than $231 billion to complete Gov. Gavin Newsom's high-speed rail, a 700% increase over its original estimates. 

State Sen. Tony Strickland, Republican vice-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, is now calling for the whole project to be scrapped, The New York Post reported. 

The project has already cost state taxpayers $14 billion, mostly on land acquisition and some construction. When voters approved the project in a state ballot, the project was originally going to run from Los Angeles to San Francisco for $33 billion. 

The initial segment that's currently under construction will go from Merced to Bakersfield. 

“My dad always taught me at an early age, when you dig a hole for yourself, the best way to get out of the hole is to stop digging,” Strickland told The Post.