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House Republicans are divided over how you can strategy rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge as federal and state officers race to evaluate the lethal collapse and make plans to revive the Port of Baltimore.
A Singapore-linked container ship collided with the bridge early on Tuesday, sending the construction into the water. Officials haven’t given a timeline after they count on the Maryland port, certainly one of the busiest on the East Coast, to reopen.
President Biden vowed earlier this week that the federal authorities would foot the bill for reconstructing the bridge and known as on Congress to again him up. Early stories have indicated it might price as a lot as $2 billion.
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., who together with the remainder of Maryland’s congressional delegation is asking for federal assist, additionally argued the non-public firms concerned in the incident ought to make up the price.
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Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., left, and Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., are amongst the House Republicans who’re cut up over President Biden’s promise that the federal authorities will cowl the prices of the Baltimore Key Bridge reconstruction. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu through Getty Images | Alex Wong/Getty Images | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images )
“It was easy for the president to promise someone else’s money, American taxpayers’ money, but I think American taxpayers would kind of wish that he had the response he had after the East Palestine disaster, which is to call for the companies responsible to pay for the damages,” Harris informed Fox News Digital, referencing final 12 months’s poisonous chemical prepare derailment in Ohio.
He additionally famous that there’s federal funding instantly accessible for conditions reminiscent of this. The federal authorities authorised $60 million in emergency {dollars} on Thursday.
“We should actually be seeking to get money from those foreign companies… that operate the ship and chartered the ship,” Harris stated.
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Another conservative, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., known as Biden’s promise “absurd” and “idiotic” in a textual content message to Fox News Digital.
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., famous that the occasion was a “tragedy,” with six building staff having misplaced their lives, however known as on Biden to reallocate support funds from his mammoth $1 trillion infrastructure regulation signed in 2021.
President Biden on Wednesday stated that the federal authorities would cowl the full price of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. (AP/Evan Vucci)
“While I mourn the lives lost in Baltimore, we cannot haphazardly spend over $1 billion as America is $34 trillion in debt. Before we spend one more dime for domestic infrastructure, we must build a domestic border wall,” Duncan stated. “Any funds used to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge should be reprogrammed from Biden’s wasteful infrastructure bill.”
It’s an indication that House GOP leaders might have some bother navigating their razor-thin majority with a supplemental reduction bill — although opposition will probably solely go thus far, with any measure anticipated to get broad bipartisan assist.
On the different hand, House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., who additionally chairs the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on transportation, informed Fox News Digital that he’s open to supporting federal funding.
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“I’m not hostile to that at all,” Cole stated of Biden’s vow, noting that the port’s closure impacts the nationwide financial system.
“I’ve learned more about the Port of Baltimore than I knew in the last 48 hours, in terms of how important it is… whether it’s moving automobiles through there, and moving agricultural — both exports and imports — in terms of supplies and machinery. It’s a very important facility, and it’s going to ripple through the national economy,” Cole defined. “I’m not going to quibble with the President of the United States over this…and certainly, Baltimore has every reason to expect a full and robust federal response.”
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early on Tuesday after it was hit by a container ship. (FBI Baltimore)
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen informed MSNBC earlier this week that she expects insurance coverage funds to cowl a few of the price.
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But GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, who handled the after-effects of a twister as mayor of Knox County, identified from expertise that insurance coverage funds take time to course of. He informed Fox News Digital he would preserve “an open mind” about the federal authorities doubtlessly paying the entire bill, if the insurance coverage went to compensation later.
“With insurance claims, it’s going to be a long, drawn-out process. If we had some agreement at some point that, you know, they would apply those funds back towards [the government], I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Burchett stated. “I believe it’s a federal highway. And so… it’s going to need to be addressed. It’s a huge detriment to those people.”
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