President Biden spoke about efforts to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after surveying the damage.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden spoke about efforts to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after surveying the damage.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden vowed Friday that the federal government will cover the cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and that the work will be done by union labor, setting up a funding fight that could set up a fight with House conservatives.
Biden made the remarks after an aerial tour of the bridge. The bridge was hit by a cargo ship on March 26, causing chaos in ship and vehicle traffic at the busy Port of Baltimore.
“We’re going to do everything we can to rebuild this bridge as quickly as possible,” Biden said.
“We’re going to do this through unionized labor and American steel,” Biden said.
On April 5, President Biden’s Marine One helicopter took an aerial tour of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
On April 5, President Biden’s Marine One helicopter took an aerial tour of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
House Freedom Caucus has funding issues
Biden has promised from the beginning that the federal government will pay for the bridge’s reconstruction. Biden’s comments came after the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group in the House, on Friday unveiled a set of conditions for federal funding for the bridge. .
The conditions include waiving environmental and union wage regulations “to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.” The conservative group also said in a statement that the government should first seek compensation from foreign shipping companies responsible for the damage.
Biden said he was committed to paying for repairs to those responsible for damages and pursuing accountability wherever possible, but made sure ports could not wait.
Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget sent a letter Ask Congress for them to authorize 100% federal sharing of the cost of reconstruction.
“This authorization would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007, when Congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days of the I35W bridge collapse in Minnesota,” she wrote.
Freedom Caucus also wants Biden to allow new LNG terminals
The conservative group, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, is again pushing the administration to lift a moratorium on building new terminals to export liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“The Biden administration’s moratorium on approvals of LNG export terminals — which, like the Baltimore port closure, has severe impacts on foreign trade — must be lifted before Congress can consider funding for bridge reconstruction,” the group said.
The Biden administration has frozen approval of new terminals pending a review of the industry’s long-term impact on the climate.
