President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the federal government should front the bill to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, following its collapse.
"It's my intention, that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge," Biden said during a press conference. "And I expect Congress to support my effort."
When asked if the company that chartered the ship that caused the collapse should be held responsible for funding the bridge's reconstruction, Biden said, "We're not going to wait for that to happen."
"We're gonna pay to get the bridge rebuilt and reopened," he added.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
The Context
On Tuesday, at around 1:30 a.m. local time, the cargo ship Dali hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse in the Patapsco River.
"First responders from the Maryland Transportation Authority, the toll authority, and our federal, state and local partners immediately responded to the scene," Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld said.
The shipping vessel was flying under a Singapore flag.
What We Know
While delivering an update on the state of search and rescue missions, Wiedefeld said that six individuals who were on the bridge during the collision were still unaccounted for. In total, eight individuals were believed to be working on the bridge at the time.
"Six are being searched for right now," Wiedefeld said. "One was taken to a hospital and one is not in the hospital."
When asked about possible vehicles on the bridge at the time of the collapse, Wiedefeld said, "We believe it's the construction crew."
Views
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Maryland Mayor Wes Moore said he was unable to provide any sort of time estimate for reconstructing the bridge, noting that the focus was mainly on the search and rescue mission currently.
"Right now our exclusive focus is on saving lives, our exclusive focus is on search and rescue," Moore said.
In a post to X, formerly Twitter, the Port of Baltimore said that "vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice."
"At this time we do not know how long vessel traffic will be suspended," the post said. "As soon as that is determined we will provide an update."
What's Next?
Officials are expected to continue their search and rescue missions on Tuesday. It is unclear if any vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to hold a press briefing later today to provide an update on its investigation into the collapse.
Update 3/26/24, 1:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 3/26/24, 1:53 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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