By WILL WEISSERT (Associated Press)
BALTIMORE (AP) — President Joe Biden witnessed firsthand on Friday the efforts to remove the jumbled remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Cranes, ships, and diving teams are working to reopen one of the country’s main shipping lanes.
While aboard Marine One, flying around the twisted metal remains and the extensive construction and salvage equipment working to clear the wreckage from last week’s collapse, Biden got his first close-up view of the devastation. On the ground, he received information from local officials, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Army Corps of Engineers about the situation in the water and its effects on the area.
Biden also met with police officers who helped block traffic to the bridge just before it was struck by the ship, which helped prevent even more loss of life.
“I’m here to say your nation supports you and I mean it,” Biden stated from the shoreline overlooking the collapsed bridge. “Your nation supports you.”
Eight laborers — immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador — were patching potholes on the bridge when it was hit by a large cargo ship and collapsed during the night of March 26. Two men were rescued, but only two of the six who died have been found. The president met with the families of the victims near the bridge on Friday, according to the White House.
“The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking,” Biden remarked.
Authorities have set up a temporary, alternative channel for ships involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers aims to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vehicles carrying cars and farm equipment by the end of this month and to fully reopen Baltimore’s port by May 31, according to the White House.
This is crucial, as prolonged delays in reopening shipping lanes could have a significant impact on the economy. About $200 million worth of cargo typically passes through Baltimore’s port each day, and it is the primary center for importing and exporting vehicles.
Over 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes are on site to assist in cutting out sections of the bridge and removing them from the main waterway. Officials informed Biden that they have all the resources necessary to meet the goals for opening the channel into the Baltimore port.
Biden also announced that some of the largest employers affected by the collapse, such as Amazon, Home Depot, and Domino Sugar, have pledged to keep their employees on payroll until the port reopens. This announcement followed several days of outreach by state and federal officials to try to lessen the economic impact of the incident.
“From the air I witnessed the torn-apart bridge,” Biden said, “but here on the ground I see a community that has come together.”
However, it is still uncertain how the costs of cleanup and constructing a new bridge will be financed.
The Federal Highway Administration has allocated $60 million in emergency relief funds to begin the process. The exact cost of the collapse is unclear, although some experts estimate that the recovery will cost at least $400 million and take 18 months.
Biden said shortly after the bridge fell that the government will pay for rebuilding the bridge, and he expects Congress to support his plan.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell compared the bridge collapse to aid given after natural disasters and stated that the federal government will provide most of the funding. But getting authorization in Congress is not guaranteed.
The White House announced on Friday that it is requesting Congress to approve the federal government covering 100% of the costs to clean up and rebuild the collapsed bridge, instead of asking for funding through a separate emergency request.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young mentioned similar methods were used in 2007 for recovery and rebuilding efforts which received bipartisan congressional support, when a highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people.
“We are asking the Congress to join us in showing our commitment to help in the recovery efforts,” Young wrote, although it is still uncertain how much money the administration will need to cover the costs.
But some staunch congressional Republicans are already demanding politically controversial offsets for the funding. The conservative House Freedom Caucus issued a statement on Friday saying that Congress should ensure any taxpayer money spent to reopen one of America’s busiest ports should be fully offset and that burdensome regulations should be waived. This refers to potential federal spending cuts elsewhere and to regulations like the Endangered Species Act.
The caucus’s letter also suggested that approval for bridge recovery funds be tied to the Biden administration agreeing to end a pause it has imposed on the exportation of liquified natural gas.
The funding questions only serve to increase the collapse’s political impact as Biden goes head-to-head with former President Donald Trump in November’s election.
It’s the second major disaster along the country’s busy northeastern hub in as many years. Last summer, an overpass along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia caught fire and collapsed after a tanker truck hit it. Federal and state officials acted quickly on temporary repairs and ultimately reopened that section of the highway faster than expected.
But the cleanup and repairs in Baltimore will take much longer and be much more expensive, making it less likely to be a political win for Biden — especially in time for Election Day.
That hasn’t stopped the Biden administration from once again supporting a $1 trillion-plus public works package that was approved by Congress in 2021.
The bridge collapse has also brought attention to Maryland’s Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, 45, a prominent figure in Biden’s reelection campaign, aiming to energize young voters on the 81-year-old president’s behalf. He accompanied Biden on the helicopter tour and during his briefings, and introduced the president before his speech.
The president himself has traveled around the country to display construction projects on roads, bridges, and tunnels. In 2022, he showed up for an event in Pittsburgh shortly after a bridge nearby fell down. Promoting the public works package has also allowed the president to embrace his love of train travel and his many years commuting to and from Washington on Amtrak as a Delaware senator.
Biden himself mentioned he’d crossed the bridge “about a thousand times” traveling from Washington to his home in Delaware, causing the state Department of Transportation chief to joke, “thank you for the tolls, sir.”
