Cardin to introduce bill to pay for Baltimore bridge

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced Tuesday that he will introduce a bill to ensure the federal government pays for the entirety of the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, holding President Biden to his promise to cover costs.

In a press conference with the Maryland congressional delegation, Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Cardin said he is “optimistic” for bipartisan support in the effort after some Republicans came out against funding.

“We intend to introduce legislation very soon, coordinated through our delegation, that will clarify that in regards to the federal participation by the states, that this will be 100 percent federal funds in regards to the costs related to the construction and replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Cardin said Tuesday,

The bridge collapsed late last month after a cargo ship struck a pier, sending it into the Patapsco River and killing six people. The wreckage completely blocked the entrance to the Port of Baltimore, which remains hampered as the Army Corps of Engineers works to carve new channels for cargo vessels.

It’s unclear exactly how much a new bridge would cost, though early estimates are into the billions of dollars. 

Some House Republicans have shown reluctance to spend federal funds on the disaster, though Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and incoming Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told him they would back a bill to pay for the replacement.

Cardin added the Senate Republicans have also been receptive to the bill.

“I am encouraged by the conversations and comments I've heard from my Republican colleagues. They have been very open to this legislation,” the senator said, specifically noting Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Environment and Public Works ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.)

Buttigieg noted that the law already states the federal government will pay for 90 percent of the bridge replacement, while Cardin’s legislation would cover the remaining 10 percent of the cost. The secretary added that the government will also pursue money from insurance or through litigation to reimburse the spending.

“It is our expectation that the federal taxpayer will be made whole, but we do not want that to get in the way,” he said. “That is why whatever insurance, litigation and other related processes play out, we are not going to wait for them to play out to make sure these dollars are getting to where they need to be. And where they need to be is helping the people of Maryland rebuild right now.”

“President Biden has had the same message internally to the executive branch that he has had externally to the public, the delegation and the people of Maryland, which is to use every tool at our disposal to make sure that we help Baltimore and Maryland recover stronger than ever before,” Buttigieg added.

In his comments, Cardin emphasized that complete federal payment is standard for major infrastructure disasters, citing the 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis as a notable example.

The delegation was encouraged by bipartisan “assurances” for funding in a meeting Tuesday, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) said, though Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) added that negotiations will still be necessary to get all of what the state needs, specifically focusing on labor requirements.

“The devil is in the details, and we got to make sure we execute on President Biden's promises to make sure that union labor builds this bridge,” Trone said. “We need these projects to have project labor agreements. So our union brothers and sisters can build the bridges right, in the right way and on time.”

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the state’s only Republican, said he will fully support the federal cost-sharing bill, but didn’t go into detail on whether he would push for the labor requirements or other issues.

“Tragedy knows no partisanship. This wasn't a Republican tragedy. It wasn't a Democrat tragedy,” Harris said. “And the solution won't be a partisan solution. It'll be a bipartisan solution.”

Harris also avoided discussing concerns from the House Freedom Caucus over paying for the reconstruction. The caucus demanded last week that any funding bill be completely offset by spending cuts elsewhere to gain its support, which Cardin’s bill will not include.

Moore lauded the work of the state’s congressional delegation and the Biden administration for the work in responding to the bridge collapse and pursuing funding.

“About two weeks ago, a part of our soul fell into the Patapsco River. A part of our landscape and a part of what makes Baltimore, Md., so special,” he said. “And literally from the first moments of that happening, watching the response of our federal delegation, watching the response of the Biden administration, watching the response of our federal partners, from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Coast Guard to the Navy, saw that this has been a true coordinated effort. And we're grateful.”