BALTIMORE — As Maryland state officials consider which builder to select to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the White House reiterated Friday its plans to fund the reconstruction in its entirety.
Democratic President Joe Biden has said the federal government will fully pay for the new bridge, and Shalanda Jongdirector of the Office of Management and Budget, in a letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, again urged Congress to do so.
The letter updated requests the White House sent to Congress in October, including a new request for $3.1 billion to repair highways and roads “damaged by disasters and other emergencies” — including the new Key Bridge. The span is expected to cost about $1.7 billion. In addition to funding for the new bridge, the letter also calls for disaster relief funds following last summer’s fires on Maui and tornadoes across the country.
“I urge Congress to take action as quickly as possible, and the Administration stands ready to work with you to fund these urgent needs,” Young wrote.
Federal highways are generally funded 90% with federal funds and 10% with state money, but the letter reiterated the White House request to “authorize 100% federal cost sharing for the bridge reconstruction, consistent with the response to previous bridge collapses.”
The federal government would also “pursue all options to recoup the costs of reconstruction,” the letter continued. This may mean that you have to get money back through insurance or a lawsuit.
The 984-foot freighter Dali lost power on March 26, crashing into one of the Key Bridge’s support pillars and causing the structure to collapse. Six construction workers were killed and 50,000 tons of debris fell into the Patapsco River, partially blocking the main shipping route until early this month.
The federal government has picked up the bulk of the bill for that cleanup, with the White House on Friday asking Congress for $33 million to supplement Army Corps of Engineer funds used for “wreck removal activities” in Baltimore Harbor and the Shipping Channel, as well as $79.5 million for Coast Guard costs related to the Key Bridge response.
The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday will consider a $50 million contract with Skanska, a construction company, to help clear the waterway. The state expects the funds to be eligible for federal reimbursement.
“Additionally, the Administration looks forward to working with Congress to alleviate the tax penalties imposed on longshoremen at the Port of Baltimore who withdrew from their retirement plans due to the hardships of being unemployed due to the collapse of the bridge.” Young wrote in her letter.
Congress has not yet passed a bill that would fully fund the bridge’s reconstruction. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, fellow Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen and other Maryland lawmakers are pushing for a larger bill that could be coupled with legislation that would make the federal government pay the full cost of replacing the bridge.
“We need a vehicle,” Cardin said in an interview Friday, referring to a timely measure — such as a spending bill — likely on its way.
The bridge bill, introduced April 11, specifies that the federal share of emergency relief funds for the “bridge and its approaches shall be 100 percent.” It requires any money recovered from insurance or liability payments to offset federal payments.
U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume, a Democrat from Maryland’s 7th District, and U.S. Representative Andy Harrisa Republican from Maryland’s 1st District, this month proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which outlines the U.S. military budget each year. The amendment would include a provision for the federal government to fully fund the new bridge.
“No challenge looms too great as we use all available resources to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Mfume said in a statement Friday.
Harris has called on the federal government to advance the money to cover the rebuilding effort “while working to be reimbursed by any liable parties,” a Harris spokesperson said Friday.
U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Democrat from Maryland’s 6th District, said in a statement that he is working to “deploy additional federal funding as quickly as possible.”
“I know how important it is to get this bridge operational again. We remain committed to a bipartisan funding package that supports 100 percent of the replacement of this critical bridge, and I commend the steadfast partnership of President Biden and his administration in this effort. Our community cannot afford to wait; we must put politics aside and deliver results,” Trone said in a statement on Friday.
A Key Bridge builder will be selected by mid-summer and the project is expected to be completed in October 2028.
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(Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Barker contributed to this article.)
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