President Biden on Friday saw firsthand the damage caused by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and promised to “move heaven and earth” to rebuild the structure.
“I’m here to tell you that your nation has your back. And I mean it. Your nation has your back,” Biden said, speaking with the wreckage of the collapsed bridge as a backdrop.
“The damage is devastating and our hearts are still broken,” he added, referring to the six people who died when the bridge collapsed late last month.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, on Interstate 695, collapsed into the water after being hit last Tuesday by the freighter Dali, which was heading to Sri Lanka.
The president said his administration’s priority was to reopen the Port of Baltimore, which is typically among the most active in the country and is critical to East Coast commerce. He said officials hope the full canal will reopen by the end of May.
The White House said Thursday that senior administration officials called major employers in the Baltimore area, including retail chains and distributors, urging them to retain workers after the bridge collapse.
And Biden called on Congress to do its part to deal with the fallout from the bridge collapse as Baltimore residents face questions about access to schools, hospitals and offices.
“Folks, we are going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as quickly as possible,” Biden said. “And we will do it with union labor and American steel.”
White House budget director Shalanda Young wrote to congressional leaders on Friday urging lawmakers to approve a 100% share of the federal costs for rebuilding the bridge, eliminating the need for the state to cover a portion of the project. .
“This authorization would be consistent with previous catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007, when Congress acted in a bipartisan manner just days after the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota,” Young wrote.
During his visit to Baltimore, Biden took an aerial tour of the collapsed bridge and received briefings on response efforts from local, state and federal officials.
Among those in attendance were leaders from the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers. Other officials included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D), Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), Representative Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), and Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) ) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
The president was also scheduled to meet with the loved ones of the six people who died in the bridge collapse.
Moore, in introducing Biden, praised the administration’s response to the bridge collapse, noting that authorities contacted him shortly after the incident.
“I know the largest city in our state is being tested right now. … The people of Maryland are grateful to have a full partner in this work like President Biden,” Moore said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
