White House urges Congress to fund 100% of Key Bridge rebuild

As state of Maryland officials consider which builder to select for the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement, the White House reiterated Friday its plans to fund the rebuild in its entirety.

Democratic President Joe Biden has stated the federal government will fully pay for the new bridge, and Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, again urged Congress to do so in a letter Friday to the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican.

The letter updated requests that the White House sent Congress in October, including a new ask for $3.1 billion to repair highways and roads “damaged in disasters and other emergencies” — which includes the new Key Bridge. The span is expected to cost roughly $1.7 billion.

In addition to funding the new bridge, the letter calls for funds for disaster relief from fires last summer on Maui and tornadoes throughout the country.

“I urge the Congress to take action as soon as possible, and the Administration stands ready to work with you to fund these urgent needs,” Young wrote.

The letter repeated the White House’s request to authorize “100 percent Federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge, consistent with the response of past bridge collapses,” according to the letter. The federal government would also “pursue all avenues to recover the costs of rebuilding,” the letter continued. That could mean recouping money from insurance or litigation.

Congress has not yet passed a bill that would fully fund the bridge rebuild.

The 984-foot cargo ship Dali lost power March 26, crashing into one of the Key Bridge’s support piers and collapsing the structure. Six construction workers were killed and the 50,000 tons of debris fell into the Patapsco River, partially blocking the shipping channel until earlier this month.

The federal government has footed the bulk of the bill for that cleanup and the White House further asked Congress on Friday for $33 million to replenish Army Corps of Engineer funds that were used for “wreckage removal activities” in the Baltimore harbor and shipping channel, as well as $79.5 million for Coast Guard costs associated with response to the Key Bridge collapse.

The state of Maryland’s Board of Public Works will consider on Wednesday a $50 million contract with Skanska, a construction company, for helping clear the waterway. The state anticipates those fund will be eligible for federal reimbursement.

“In addition, the Administration looks forward to working with the Congress on relieving tax penalties incurred by longshore workers at the Port of Baltimore who withdrew from their retirement plans due to the hardship of being out of work as a result of the bridge collapse,” Young wrote in her letter.

A Key Bridge builder will be selected by mid- to late summer and the project is expected to be finished by October 2028.