President Biden described his familial ties to the Maryland city of Baltimore during a Friday visit to the site where a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week, killing six construction workers.
During his remarks, Biden said “heaven and earth” would be moved to re-construct a new bridge, while also affirming his support for the state of Maryland and the city.
“Your nation has your back and I mean it,” Biden said.
BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE: HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS DEMANDS LIMITS ON FEDERAL REBUILD FUNDING
President Joe Biden, right, participates in an operational briefing on the response and recovery efforts of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on Friday, in Dundalk, Md. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Biden, who said his father was raised in Baltimore and still has family in the region, received a briefing where he heard about the ongoing efforts to clear the channel, restore shipping and open road traffic near the city’s port.
He noted that the main priority was to open the Port of Baltimore, saying the lack of shipping would impact other ports around the country. That entails clearing the shipping channel to provide passage for commercial vessels.
“It’s one of the nation’s largest shipping hubs,” he said.
He said “thousands of tons of mangled steel remain lodged in the water, blocking ships from moving in and out of the harbor.”
President Joe Biden, aboard Marine One, takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Friday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The bridge collapsed last week after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power in the early morning hours of March 26. The collapse occurred shortly after the vessel began its trek from Baltimore to Sri Lanka.
The ship issued a mayday alert, which allowed just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save six members of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge. Two of their bodies have been recovered from the Patapsco River.
“Ten days ago, a piece of the Baltimore skyline and a piece of the Baltimore spirit plunged into the river,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said before introducing Biden.
Biden promised that the federal government would pay for a new bridge while calling on Congress to authorize legislation to do so.
Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, as President Joe Biden takes an aerial tour of the collapsed bridge on Friday in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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The Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, and Grace Ocean, the owner, filed a court petition Monday seeking to limit their legal liability, a routine but important procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
