Near the end of the negotiations for the final stimulus package agreement last week, the White House inserted $8 billion for high-speed rail.  In an interview, Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff, said, “I put it in there for the president . . . The president wanted to have a signature issue in the bill, his commitment for the future.”

David Rogers, writing at Politico.com, says that this is a landmark transportation investment that will impact all regions of the country.  It will be the prototype for "the infrastructure bank" that was discussed at the beginning of the discussions on the stimulus bill then mostly set aside.  Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has 60 days to come up with a strategic plan for the funds, giving "priority to projects that support the development of intercity high-speed rail service.”