WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for an all-out federal effort to respond to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, including paying to get it rebuilt.
“It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect Congress to support my effort,” he said at a White House media briefing. “This is going to take some time; we’re not leaving until this job is done.”
Asked if companies affiliated with the ship that caused the collapse — the Singapore-flagged Dali — should be responsible for the repairs, Biden responded, “That could be, but we’re not going to wait for that — we’re going to pay to get the bridge rebuilt and opened.” The containership is managed by Synergy Marine Group and chartered by Maersk.
The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the response effort alongside officials from the Federal Highway Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Maryland state agencies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will help lead the effort to clear the channel.
“Search-and-rescue operations are our top priority, and ship traffic has been suspended until further notice,” Biden said. “We’ll need to clear that channel before that ship traffic can resume.”
Biden, who said he had been on the bridge “many times” while commuting from Delaware while a member of Congress, stressed the economic significance of the disaster. He pointed out that Baltimore is one of the nation’s largest shipping hubs, handling a record amount of cargo last year as the top port for U.S. imports and exports of autos and light trucks.
“Around 850,000 vehicles [are handled] every year, and 15,000 jobs depend on that port. “We’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers.”
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., said in a statement that his committee is in touch with federal agencies responding to and investigating the incident, including the National Transportation Safety Board.
“At this stage, we need to make sure we’re not getting ahead of the facts, but as we continue to learn more, we will ensure that members of Congress have all available information,” he said.
Related:
Baltimore bridge collapse disrupts traffic, port operations after ship collision
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