Biden brings words of support to Md.
Urges Congress to act to rebuild collapsed bridge
President Joe Biden grieved with family members of the six immigrant workers killed in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse during a trip to Baltimore on Friday, urging Congress to take swift action to approve funding to rebuild the bridge.
Biden, who has clamped down on unauthorized border crossings, steered clear of mentioning the victims’ status in the country, instead focusing on their contribution to their community.
“Most were immigrants, all were Marylanders − hardworking, strong and selfless,” Biden said during the visit 10 days after the bridge collapse.
Biden told the reeling Baltimore community that “your nation has your back” and vowed to “move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible.” He said his administration is committed to ensuring the parties responsible for the bridge collapse are “held accountable to the fullest extent the law will allow.”
“But I also want to be clear: We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that’s here now,” Biden said, announcing federal grants available to workers who relocate to Baltimore to assist in recovery efforts.
On Marine One along with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Biden toured by air what remains of the bridge on the Patapsco River before receiving a briefing on recovery efforts from first responders and local and state officials at the Maryland Transportation Authority in Dundalk, Maryland.
“As I stand here, I call on Congress to authorize this effort as soon as possible,” Biden said of the massive bridge reconstruction project.
After his remarks, Biden met with loved ones of the six deceased workers, who were immigrants from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. Two other workers were rescued.
“After pulling a night shift working potholes, they were on a break when the ship struck,” Biden said, recounting how one of the victims, Carlos Hernandez, 24, left a message for his girlfriend seconds before the bridge collapsed saying that he and his crew had just poured cement and were waiting for it to dry.
“To all the families of loved ones who are grieving, I’ve come here to grieve with you. We all are. It’s not the same, but I know a little bit about what it’s like to lose a piece of our soul,” Biden said, adding the time will come when the thought of their loved one “brings a smile to your face instead of a tear.”
“My vow is that we will not rest, as Carlos said, until the cement has dried of the entirety of a new bridge,” Biden said.
The absence of the bridge has major economic ramifications for the region and for shipping out of the Port of Baltimore. The collapse occurred around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, when the Singaporeflagged container ship Dali slammed into one of the bridge’s piers as it left the Port of Baltimore.
The Biden administration last week authorized $60 million in federal emergency relief funds for Maryland’s initial costs, but significantly more funding will be needed to rebuild the bridge. Biden has vowed the federal government will cover the entire tab for reconstruction.
Some House Republicans are seeking conditions for any federal funding. The hard-line House Freedom Caucus, which has balked at previous spending measures, demanded in a statement Friday that the Biden administration lift its pause on approvals for liquefied natural gas export projects as part of any funding package.
Freedom Caucus members also said all funding for the bridge’s reconstruction must be “fully offset” for them to sign off on bridge funding.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday announced an ambitious timeline to partially reopen the Fort McHenry Channel in Baltimore by the end of April and fully reopen it by the end of May. But officials say it could be rebuilt in less than five years.
Moore announced that the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Alliance, composed of more than 50 businesses and other partners including employers, have agreed not to lay off employees affected by the bridge collapse.
“Now I know our state’s largest city is being tested right now,” Moore said. “But Baltimore has been tested before. We get knocked down, we stand back up and we dust ourselves off, and we move forward. That is what we do. And the people of Maryland are grateful to have a full partner in this work like President Biden.”
The deaths of the six workers rattled Baltimore’s Latino immigrant community, which has grown swiftly in recent years, with offices established in the city, county and state providing immigrant services. But gaps in resources for the community have been cast into sharper focus with the collapse.