Maryland’s congressional delegation introduced a bill in both the House and Senate on Thursday to ensure that federal funds will cover the full cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The legislation would protect Maryland taxpayers from bearing a 10% share of the cost of reconstructing the bridge, which was struck by a cargo ship last month and collapsed into the Patapsco River, killing six construction workers.
Democratic President Joe Biden has promised that the federal government will cover the entire bill, with his administration approving an initial $60 million request from the state and access to a $1 billion emergency relief fund.
Lawmakers stressed that the loss of the bridge, which has halted much of the traffic at one of the East Coast’s busiest ports, is not just a local but a national catastrophe.
“The sudden collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a human tragedy and an economic tragedy — for Maryland and the nation,” Sen. Ben Cardin said in a statement. “The federal government is an essential partner in this gargantuan task of reopening the Port of Baltimore shipping channel and replacing the bridge with one built for modern-day commerce and travel needs.”
Crews have been clearing tons of debris and opening temporary shipping channels, hoping to reopen normal port traffic by the end of May. To date, divers have recovered the bodies of three of the six workers who were killed in the bridge collapse.
Named the Baltimore Bridge Response Invests and Delivers Global Economic, or BRIDGE, Relief Act, the bill has the support of the delegation’s lone Republican, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, despite his membership in the far-right Freedom Caucus which has called for restrictions on the federal funds.
The caucus in a statement last week said officials should seek “maximum liability” from shipping companies before seeking public funds, a notion rejected by Cardin and others who said litigation could take years and should not delay the rebuilding of the bridge.
But Harris told reporters Thursday that there is consensus in Congress to fund the rebuild even if that means the federal government must “front” the money before seeking funds from foreign shipping companies who may be liable.
Harris, a Republican representing the 1st Congressional District, said during a media conference call that there is “broad agreement the federal government should front the money, but that every effort should be made to recoup this money from those who I believe will be held liable for the damage done.”
The Freedom Caucus statement specified that the government should seek maximum liability from the shipping companies “upfront.”
But Harris, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said “it’ll take years” to recoup any money, and that the bridge project must stay on track.
Harris said holding companies liable is important, but that “with very few exceptions I think the House will agree and the Congress will agree that the federal government can keep the project moving by assuring the funds are available” in the meantime.
Harris’ district includes the Eastern Shore, Harford County and part of Baltimore County.
The legislation says that in accordance with federal regulations, “any compensation for damages or insurance proceeds” recovered by the state should go toward the reconstruction of the bridge.
The bill was introduced two days after the state delegation and Gov. Wes Moore took to the U.S. Capitol to urge support for the funding.
Moore, a Democrat, expressed gratitude in a statement on Thursday to the delegation and “our federal allies in this hour of national importance.”
“We must continue to come together, across party lines and all levels of government,” he said, “to reopen the Port of Baltimore and rebuild the bridge as fast as possible.”
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(Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Barker contributed to this article.)
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