The House Freedom Caucus has laid out a series of requirements for discussing the funding to reconstruct the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. This comes as Congress waits for a funding request from the Biden administration.
In an official position released Friday, the conservative group demanded that any funding for the bridge should be fully paid for and urged the Biden administration to first lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects before talking about additional funding for the bridge.
“[T]he Biden Administration’s pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals — which, like the Baltimore harbor closure, has severe implications for foreign trade — must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction,” the group wrote.
The Freedom Caucus, made up of about thirty hard-line conservatives, is also requesting that authorities “pursue maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront” and that the Baltimore port “utilizes already available federal funds” before Congress considers additional funding to repair the bridge.
The conservative group released its position shortly before President Biden was scheduled to travel to Baltimore to visit the site of the collapsed bridge, which fell last week after being struck by a cargo ship.
When discussing the bridge collapse last week, Biden said “it’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.”
Shalanda Young, the director of the Office and Management and Budget, reiterated that position in a letter to top lawmakers Friday, asking that Congress authorize “a 100 percent Federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge.”
“This authorization would be consistent with past catastrophic bridge collapses,” Young added.
The administration has not yet disclosed how much the rebuilding effort will cost, but some estimates have put the number at $2 billion.
The White House’s vow, however, has run into some opposition from some conservatives, who have raised concerns about the ballooning deficit and argued that the company that owns the cargo ship that struck the bridge should pay for the reconstruction effort.
“The very thought of having the Federal Government pay for the Baltimore bridge is TOTALLY ABSURD!!” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member, told The Hill by text message last week. “This exemplifies the old slogan ‘ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL!!’”
The Freedom Caucus also asked that various regulations “are waived to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs” and demanded that lawmakers do not attach other priorities to the funding bill.
“[T]his funding must be limited to physical structure repairs with a federal nexus — this must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects and the House of Representatives must adhere to the ‘single subject’ rule,” the group said.
It remains unclear when Congress will start discussing funding to rebuild the bridge. Representatives for Maryland are urging a prompt consideration of the request. The House and Senate will reconvene next week.
The upcoming two weeks are full of other important tasks for the two chambers. Congress needs to extend the nation's surveillance powers before April 19, which has led to a heated dispute on Capitol Hill. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has pledged to push for foreign aid legislation when the House returns to Washington, as lawmakers and officials express concerns about Ukraine's situation in its conflict with Russia.
