Biden in Baltimore announces more federal assistance after bridge collapse
President Biden went to Baltimore Friday as a show of support after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, announcing additional federal financial support to buoy the city’s economy and commerce.
The president surveyed the devastation from his helicopter, Marine One, Friday afternoon before receiving a briefing from local officials. The bridge fell on March 26 when the Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship, struck one of the bridge’s main supports. Six men who were working on the bridge fell into the Patapsco River below and were killed. Mr. Biden met with their families Friday.
“I’ve come here to grieve with you,” the president told Baltimore residents near where the bridge stood.
the federal government should pay for the entire cost of the bridge’s reconstruction, which Congress would need to approve.
It’s not yet clear what that will cost, and some Republicans have expressed opposition to having the federal government foot the bill. The Biden administration has approved $60 million in immediate aid to help clean the wreckage.
“My vow is that we will not rest … until the cement has dried on the entirety of a new bridge,” the president said Friday.
White House Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young on Friday wrote to Congress and called on lawmakers to authorize “a 100 percent federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge.” She reminded them that “Congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days” to provide similar funding after the 2007 collapse of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota.
Next Tuesday, Maryland’s congressional delegation will be meeting with Gov. Wes Moore and Young Tuesday to discuss emergency funding for Baltimore and its response to the bridge collapse.
A second temporary channel opened this week for some water traffic to proceed, but it will take years to rebuild the bridge, a key artery for the city, state, and Northeast corridor. The fall of the bridge has been a drag on the local economy, too. About 35,000 cars crossed the bridge each day, and those travelers will now need to take longer and more congested routes.
Kathryn Watson
Source: cbsnews.com