The Biden administration on Thursday approved a $60 million request from Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office to help with the tragic collapse of a Baltimore bridge earlier this week.
Moore announced online early Tuesday that his administration had requested the first emergency funding relief in response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. A container ship chartered by a Danish shipping company lost power before hitting the bridge, and the structure was seen collapsing into the Patapsco River. (Related: NTSB confirms cargo ship was carrying 764 tons of hazardous materials, reveals black box data before bridge collision)
A request for assistance was made Thursday morning by the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Department of Transportation to the Federal Highway Administration, stating that the funding was intended to “support mobilization, operations, and debris removal.” according to On Fox News. Moore then confirmed approval of the funding at an evening press conference.
“This morning, we submitted an initial $60 million request to the Biden-Harris Administration for initial operations and debris recovery efforts. As of this afternoon, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved that request. I can report that we are deeply grateful to President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, the federal delegation, and our federal partners,” Moore said.
Watch live updates on our ongoing response to the Key Bridge collapse. https://t.co/7DkdgS3atX
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) March 28, 2024
The Biden administration previously promised to financially support the full cost of rebuilding the bridge, but the relief requested by the Moore administration is not related to the bridge’s construction.
Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said at a press conference that the cost of clearing the entire waterway would be covered entirely by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and that legislation has been introduced to cover the remaining funds not covered by relief aid. said.
After the collapse, first responders immediately engaged in search and rescue operations, attempting to locate six people who were reported missing. However, almost a day later, authorities announced that the missing person was presumed dead and the search operation had resumed. Two bodies have since been found, and authorities are continuing to search for the remaining four.
