This report discusses the the interest Congress had has in a high speed rail for America. Congress has been interested in high speed rail (HSR) since the 1960s, but the provision of $8 billion for intercity passenger rail and high speed rail projects in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5), enacted in February 2009, has catalyzed enthusiasm for high speed rail in Congress and the nation.