Lawmakers are weighing the use of federal funds to restore a collapsed bridge in Baltimore, while more conservative members have expressed outrage that Congress’s “first reaction” is to spend.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed early Tuesday morning, put both the Biden administration and Congress under the spotlight for what role they will play in the rebuilding process. President Joe Biden said he wanted the federal government to take on the “entire cost” to reconstruct the bridge — turning eyes to the House and Senate as to whether they will support the president as he expects.
While Capitol Hill remains quiet as members are on a two-week recess, lawmakers are already floating the idea of a funding bill to assist Baltimore with repairs, with possible legislation emerging in the House soon.
House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said in an interview with Fox News that he predicts a funding bill would begin to form “in a matter of weeks.” The Washington Examiner confirmed that timeline with Cole’s spokesperson.
Cole, who also leads the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on transportation, said there are discussions about how involved Congress will be with the rebuilding and that a funding bill could go “well beyond just the construction of the bridge.”
“We have to wait for a damage estimate. And this could be a little more complex than normal. There’s obviously the bridge itself, but there’s also … potential damages relating to the interruption of traffic at the port,” Cole told the outlet, referring to a blockage at the Port of Baltimore. “Certainly, we stand ready to work very closely with both federal and state officials.”
Given the House Appropriations Committee handles Congress’s coffers, any funding bill likely would have to go through Cole’s subcommittee.
“Sometimes it takes a while, and you want to be very sure that you really do include everything,” the congressman said when asked about a timeline. “So it would probably be a matter of weeks.
“A lot of this depends on, you know, do you want to attach it to something else, or do you want it to stand alone?” Cole continued, adding that determining which of the congressional committees would have jurisdiction over the situation could also take time.
Eyes are also on the Department of Transporation and its secretary, Pete Buttigieg, who has appealed for support on both sides of the aisle, “red, blue, and purple, to get these things done.” He has been reaching out to Republican audiences in the days following the collapse, from which six people are presumed to be dead.
Federal officials have estimated that repairs could cost as much as $2 billion. Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) submitted his first bill on Thursday, asking the Biden administration for $60 million to clean up damage from the bridge collapse.
Currently, the Biden administration has $950 million in the bipartisan infrastructure law set aside for emergency relief. Whether those funds are used to assist the bridge rebuilding, or will possibly put off any drive for new legislation, remains to be seen.
“We’ve had a good exchange with the Department of Transportation,” Cole said. “There are a number of things they are doing and can do right now. They have the ability to advance money for debris removal. They’ve got an emergency fund for meeting expenses. So there are resources there to do the things that need to be done.”
Already, members of Congress are speaking out as to how they believe the federal government should respond to the collapse, with the matter splitting Republicans. Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) said Wednesday that both the federal and Maryland state governments need to reduce the “environmental and regulatory burdens” that would prevent any “rapid reconstruction” for the bridge.
“We fully support the State of Maryland’s request for Emergency Relief funds and appreciate the fast approval of $60 million in Quick Release funds, and we are committed to providing every possible federal resource to aid in the rebuilding and recovery efforts for the families and the communities feeling the impact of the accident,” the Maryland congressional delegation said in a statement on Thursday.
However, other House GOP lawmakers are seemingly against any federal funding response to the bridge’s collapse. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) was quick to blast Biden’s initial pledge for the federal government to be responsible for the reconstruction, instead suggesting that the United States request funds from Singapore, where the cargo ship that caused the collapse is registered.
“It was kind of outrageous immediately for Biden to express in this tragedy the idea that he’s going to use federal funds to pay for the entirety [of the bridge],” Meuser said Thursday. “First reaction, frankly the only reaction, tends to be to spend. We just can’t take the easy route all the time and just try to spend the taxpayers’ money. There’s no thought. Just spend.”
Meuser’s words have already drawn criticism from fellow members.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), previously the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that the federal government issuing funds to replace the bridge is not “charity” but instead an “investment” that is essential to protecting the economy.
“By claiming that these federal resources are nothing more than an unnecessary political favor, those who oppose this funding once again reveal how they are actively rooting against America’s economic success,” Hoyer said. “Instead, they ought to work with us to ensure American families don’t have to contend with rising prices from supply-chain disruption.”
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), in whose district the bridge is located, called Meuser’s comments “short-sighted” in an interview with Politico, saying that the Pennsylvania Republican may not know how much of an impact the bridge collapse will have on the economy and industries.
“I just don’t know how in Pennsylvania coal country, how anybody could be lauding the fact that we should slow down or not get totally involved as the federal government in rebuilding the bridge and reopening the harbor,” Mfume said of Meuser.
Mfume added that he has a call in to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in hopes of securing bipartisan support for rebuilding.
Some members, such as Harris and Mfume, are optimistic that Congress can come together quickly to address the reconstruction as it did when a Minnesota bridge collapsed in 2007, when it took just days to approve money for rebuilding.
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Not all House Democrats are ready to move full steam ahead with a federal response, however. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) told Bloomberg in an interview that the insurance company behind the cargo ship should pay out any required damages.
“I don’t think it has to be federal taxpayer money,” he said. “Let’s first go to the insurance side of it and then we’ll see what’s left over.”
