Add to the legislative docket during this incredibly busy election year: A massive package to help rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and account for the economic impact of the structure’s collapse.
Let’s be entirely clear: Congress is going to have to appropriate a lot of money — perhaps more than $1 billion — to help rebuild the bridge and potentially aid the Port of Baltimore, which is reeling from the economic impact of the Dali’s crash. The port could be closed for another six weeks.
Senior Hill aides are already saying that the package will take time to draft and pass. Any legislation to address the deadly disaster is certain to become a target for other pet projects and key lawmaker priorities. In other words, this will become a must-pass bill.
It will be another headache for Speaker Mike Johnson, who will likely again have to rely on Democratic votes — thus swallowing Democratic priorities — to get it across the finish line.
Nothing is easy to pass in the 118th Congress, and this won’t be any different. But federal and state officials have been highlighting the urgency of rebuilding the bridge and ensuring that normal operations at the Port of Baltimore can resume quickly. The port is a major commercial hub for the East Coast and one of the busiest in the country.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it’s “likely” that the administration will ask Congress to “help top-up” some emergency funds.
Click here for the report from Punchbowl News
