SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The U.S. Department of Transportation is auditing the California high-speed rail project’s federal funding. The inspector general’s audit comes at the request of Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, a critic of the project. The California state auditor is already examining the project after repeated delays and cost overruns. The state is well short of the $77 billion it now estimates it needs to build a bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. California has received more than $3 billion in federal money through grant programs. Auditors will examine the Federal Railroad Administration’s financial reporting and whether the federal money used in California has complied with regulations, among other things. It’s unclear how long it will take.