New legislation proposed by New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker would increase funding for Amtrak and set up an annual stream of grant funding that could be used to make improvements to the aging Northeast corridor.

Booker and fellow Sen. Bob Menendez discussed the legislation Monday at Newark's Penn Station.

Introduced by Booker and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the bill would give Amtrak $1.65 billion per year for the next four years.

Congress currently is wrangling over transportation and infrastructure funding. This month, the House voted to cut more than $200 million from the $1.3 billion Amtrak currently gets.

Booker's bill also would make available $570 million in grant funding every year. Booker says that money could be used for projects to alleviate congestion on the Northeast corridor.