BALTIMORE — The members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, including three who will soon retire, are in a last-minute sprint to secure full funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement before lawmakers leave for the holidays.
They’re appealing to their fellow representatives and senators, making the case for Maryland and other states that have faced disasters this year, sticking together and trying to stave off a growing wave of pushback from the House Freedom Caucus.
While the overwhelming majority of Maryland’s senators and congressmen are optimistic about securing full funding for the bridge rebuild, there is also a hint of caution.
“The outlook is positive, but on Capitol Hill, an old Yogi Berra saying is important to remember — ‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over,’” Sen. Chris Van Hollen said, quoting the New York Yankees legend.
Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring at the end of the year, believes there’s a really good chance a relief bill passes before lawmakers go home for the holidays, but it’s “not without risk.”
The Democratic senators from Maryland are hoping the full funding for the bridge will be included in a disaster relief aid package that is likely to be attached to the continuing resolution that would keep the government funded.
“We’ll work to get it on any vehicle that moves before the end of the year,” Van Hollen said.
President Joe Biden recently requested nearly $100 billion in new funding that would help with recovery efforts in states ravaged by hurricanes and other disasters. Though there have been many conciliatory talks about the aid in Washington, D.C., some members of the House Freedom Caucus threw a torch in the mix on Wednesday.
“Congress should not pass a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill — that Democrats will use to cement their own unrelated priorities — in the waning days of Democrat control in Washington right before Republicans take control of the White House and both Chambers,” the House Freedom Caucus said in a statement.
The conservative caucus is led by the lone Republican congressman from Maryland, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, who represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, which largely comprises the state’s Eastern Shore. His office didn’t respond Friday to a request for comment, but he recently told The Sun he sees “eye to eye” with his Democratic colleagues when it comes to bridge funding.
Most of the pushback is coming from outside of Maryland. “I’m not going to vote for $100 billion unpaid for. Zero chance,” Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican and member of the Freedom Caucus, told Fox News in November.
Congressman Kweisi Mfume, a Baltimore Democrat, reminds his colleagues that disasters don’t know political parties or state lines.
“Disasters like the Key Bridge collapse cannot be predicted, and I have emphasized the point with other lawmakers from across the country that while this bridge collapsed in Baltimore, the next tragedy of this scale could occur anywhere, in any congressional district, without regard to party affiliation,” Mfume said.
“With our unified front in the Maryland congressional delegation driving this effort, I am still very optimistic that we are going to get this done,” he added.
Team Maryland
When reporters ask the state’s senators and House representatives in Washington about replacing the Key Bridge, a critical artery of the federal interstate highway system, there’s much talk about how “Team Maryland” is “working tirelessly.”
Perhaps nobody says it more than the congressman who has represented the state the longest. “Our congressional delegation and the rest of Team Maryland is laser-focused on the effort to secure funding to replace the Key Bridge,” said U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, the former House majority leader.
The team has pushed for language in the disaster aid bill that provides for a full federal cost share for the bridge’s reconstruction, he said, and the delegation is “working tirelessly” to ensure it’s included in the end-of-year CR — the continuing resolution that will keep the government funded.
They’ve already secured 90% of the funding through the National Relief Program, but the last 10% of the $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion price tag is no small ask.
“Team Maryland remains united in our commitment to securing the federal funding essential for rebuilding the Key Bridge, and we are working tirelessly to see it through,” said Congressman John Sarbanes, who represents Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District.
Political pressures
Funding the Key Bridge replacement is more than a spending battle. It’s ensuring a major part of the nation’s infrastructure can be rebuilt, carrying the components that fuel America’s economy.
The bridge’s restoration “is an urgent bipartisan imperative, and serious efforts are underway in Congress to do it,” said Congressman Jamie Raskin, representing Maryland’s 8th Congressional District. “From day one, Team Maryland, including federal, state and local leaders, have united to support the greater Baltimore community, including by working to secure the funding needed to advance relief, rebuilding and recovery.”
Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, who represents Baltimore County and is retiring at the end of the year, spoke to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, a few days ago to emphasize “the dire need for bridge funding,” Ruppersberger spokesperson Jamie Lennon said. “The chairman indicated he understands the importance.”
The delegation is working hard to get full funding, but the end-of-the-year legislation to keep the government open and provide disaster aid is running into political pressures, especially from the House Freedom Caucus, Lennon said.
Baltimore’s bridge replacement is also competing with other parts of the country that have been ravaged by natural disasters and fires.
“Everyone needs help,” Lennon said.
Outgoing Congressman David Trone, a Democrat who represents Maryland’s 6th Congressional District is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has a huge role in deciding how the government spends taxpayer money.
“I hope my Republican colleagues recognize the urgent need for this funding, and I remain committed to working with them to get it across the finish line in the next two weeks,” Trone said. “Americans are counting on us.”
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