Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has responded to numerous transportation crises since taking office, but he faces his biggest challenge yet with the deadly collapse of a major bridge in Baltimore.
Shortly after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Mr. Buttigieg was thrust back into the spotlight as he had to begin mobilizing agency resources to deal with the disaster. Buttigieg immediately spoke by phone with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and immediately headed to the scene to begin coordinating the federal response.
“The path to normalcy will not be easy, nor will it be quick or cheap, but we will rebuild together,” Buttigieg told reporters Tuesday, flanked by Moore, local officials and local lawmakers. .
The next day, he called on both Democrats and Republicans to “come together” to approve a funding package to support recovery and reconstruction efforts. And on Thursday, Buttigieg announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) would immediately provide $60 million in emergency federal funding for the initial stages of that effort.
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke at a White House press conference in response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore this week. (Reuters/Elizabeth Franz)
A Department of Transportation spokesperson said the secretary has been “working around the clock” with federal, state and local authorities since Buttigieg was first informed of the accident. While coordinating Shippers, truck drivers, longshoremen and port operators are all affected by this event.
Mr. Buttigieg’s quick response and action ultimately Recovery efforts that may take yearsThat will likely extend beyond his tenure at the agency, said former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who served as secretary of transportation during the Obama administration.
“There’s no question about it. It’s his biggest test yet, and he handled it admirably,” Lahoud told Politico this week.
Photo: Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse in Maryland
Overall, this crisis presents unique challenges given the importance of the bridge and the nearby Port of Baltimore, which remains closed due to the bridge collapse. Debris in the Patapsco River will indefinitely halt the flow of ships in and out of the port, cutting off the flow of commerce and straining supply chains. In addition to his 8,000 jobs associated with port activities being threatened, up to $200 million worth of products are moved through the port every day.
A portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge hangs above the container ship Dali in Baltimore on March 26. (Army Corps of Engineers/Handout via Reuters)
Additionally, approximately 4,900 trucks cross the bridge each day, transporting approximately $28 billion in goods on an annual basis, according to the American Trucking Associations.
As a result of the collapse, all ship and truck traffic could be diverted, putting a strain on other ports and infrastructure.
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“The collapse of this critical infrastructure in Baltimore, and the direct impact on its communities, victims and their families, and critical East Coast ports, is not only a moment for Baltimore, but a collective moment for everyone. “Not just at the Department of Transportation, but across the entire government,” a DOT spokesperson told FOX News Digital.
“Although this incident occurred in Baltimore, it has regional and national implications, and we hope that as a nation we will all come together to support recovery efforts, as we have seen in previous disasters.” doing.”
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is just the latest in a series of crises Buttigieg has been forced to respond to as DOT chief.
Republicans and some progressives were quick to attack Buttigieg in response to the crisis, saying it reflected his inexperience. For example, hours after Tuesday’s bridge collapse, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) took to social media to address the “recurring infrastructure crisis under Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg.”
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In particular, Mr. Buttigieg has criticized his handling of the supply chain crisis in 2021, his failure to do enough to correct significant airline delays, and his failure to act in Portugal in 2022 amid tense negotiations with railroad unions. He has been criticized for taking vacations and for not responding quickly enough to the train derailment. A freight train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
“Whether it’s waiting weeks to visit East Palestine, vacationing in Portugal’s wine region during important union negotiations, being away for an extended period during one of the biggest shipping crises we’ve ever faced, or a major aircraft flight. “Secretary Buttigieg’s failure to prevent the grounding also demonstrated his incompetence to do his job.” congressman michael waltzR-Fla., previously told FOX News Digital.
Still, it remains unclear exactly how Buttigieg’s approach to past crises has influenced his current response to the Baltimore bridge collapse. He recently told Politico that every emergency “impacts how we deal with the next one.”
FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.
