WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration has revoked a nearly $1 billion federal grant it previously promised towards funding a high-speed railway connecting the metropolises of San Francisco and Los Angeles in the state of California.

File photo: AP

In a statement released Thursday, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) said it has terminated the cooperative agreement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to provide $928.6 million  for the high-speed rail project.

"California has abandoned its original vision of a high-speed passenger rail service connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, which was essential to its applications for FRA grant funding," the statement said, adding California has "repeatedly failed to comply" with the agreement and "failed to make reasonable progress on the project."

The FRA also said it continued to "consider all options" regarding the return of $2.5 billion that it has already awarded for the project.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday called the withdrawal of the federal funding "illegal and a direct assault on California."

"Just as we have seen from the Trump administration's attacks on our clean air standards, our immigrant communities and in countless other areas, the Trump administration is trying to exact political retribution on our state," Newsom said in a statement.

"This is California's money, appropriated by Congress, and we will vigorously defend it in court," he said.