Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) on Thursday criticized President Joe Biden for calling on Congress to pay for the cost of fixing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after it was struck by a ship and collapsed this week, leaving six people presumed dead and a major shipping port closed for the foreseeable future.
“It was kind of outrageous immediately for Biden to express in this tragedy the idea that he’s going to use federal funds to pay for the entirety,” Meuser said in an interview with Fox Business on Thursday. “This is a crisis situation, but it needs a plan, not a knee-jerk spend reaction.”
The Pennsylvania congressman suggested instead pulling from funds Democrats have already passed boosting electric vehicles to help pay for the repair effort, which could cost upwards of several billions of dollars.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates didn’t seem to take kindly to Meuser’s comments, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that Biden “knows the federal government has a critical role to play when it comes to American infrastructure” and that “so does” Meuser.” He noted a press release featured on the congressman’s website that touts his efforts at securing federal funding to replace a bridge in his district.
“Without a functional bridge, members of the community would face considerable challenges in accessing essential services and navigating their daily lives. This investment will have a beneficial impact on all who call New Milford Borough home,” Meuser said in a statement accompanying the press release earlier this week.
It’s not clear yet exactly how much federal funding Maryland will require to fix the bridge. There are about $950 million in federal funds available for such purposes that can be released from an emergency fund within the Federal Highway Administration. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told reporters on Thursday that most of the cost of the project will be covered by emergency funds already available and that Congress…
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