On Thursday, I sat down with the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, to discuss the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. On March 26, the bridge was hit by a cargo ship, resulting in the death of six bridge workers and a pause in all commercial movement into the port. The Key Bridge, for many, is a lifeline. It connects the people of Baltimore to jobs, ensures U.S. automobile makers expand the footprint of American made vehicles, and is a hub for agricultural exchange. Roughly 30,000 vehicles travel across the Baltimore Key Bridge on any given day, including commuters, long-distance travelers and those carrying goods to-and-from the Port of Baltimore. It is clear that rebuilding this bridge is critical to not just the people of Maryland, but for our economy as a whole.
In my role as the lead Democrat on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, I assured Governor Moore that a timely and efficient rebuild is top of mind. We further discussed how the state and the federal government can work in unison and what next steps are necessary to get this done.
