Washington ( CNN ) -- The Obama administration is proposing to spend $ 53 billion over the next six years to help promote the construction of a national high-speed , intercity passenger rail network , Vice President Joe Biden announced Tuesday . The proposal represents a significant expansion of the $ 10.5 billion already spent on high-speed rail expansion since Obama entered office , including $ 8 billion in the 2009 economic stimulus package . U.S. bullet trains : Coming soon ? White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters potential funding sources for the plan will be outlined in the president 's proposed budget , which is scheduled to be released next week . President Barack Obama said in last month 's State of the Union address that he was setting a goal of giving 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years . Obama : U.S. infrastructure has `` slipped '' The proposed new investment -- including $ 8 billion in the upcoming fiscal year -- would accompany a streamlined application process for cities , states , and private companies seeking federal grants and loans to develop railway capacity . `` There are key places where we can not afford to sacrifice as a nation -- one of which is infrastructure , '' Biden said in a written statement . There is a pressing need `` to invest in a modern rail system that will help connect communities , reduce congestion and create quality , skilled manufacturing jobs that can not be outsourced . '' Biden , who commuted regularly by train between Washington and his home state of Delaware during a 36-year Senate tenure , has been a prominent advocate for railway travel and , more specifically , Amtrak . A new high-speed rail investment , however , may face a cool reception in the new , more Republican Congress . GOP leaders have called for more spending cuts in the wake of spiraling federal deficits . Cost derails some U.S. bullet trains . Obama has also called for more fiscal responsibility , proposing in his State of the Union address a five-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending .
The Obama administration is expected to spend $ 100 billion more on high - speed rail . The cuts would be made over the next six years . The proposal may have a cool reception among business leaders worried about federal spending .