Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 79 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024)

[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3377-S3380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Francis Scott Key Bridge

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time, along with Senator Van
Hollen, to update our colleagues on the tragic events that took place
in Baltimore on March 26 of this year when the Dali, an almost 1,000-
foot container vessel, ran into the support pier of the Francis Scott
Key Bridge and, within seconds, the bridge collapsed. It was a sight
that was seen around the world in horror. It was a horrific event, and
it had a major impact not only on my community in Baltimore but also
around the Nation.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is part of I-695 and part of the I-95
corridor on the east coast of the United States. It also is a bridge
that is over the only channel into the Port of Baltimore. The Port of
Baltimore is the third busiest port in the United States. It is No. 1
in roll-on, roll-off cargo, and it is critically important to our
national economy, our supply chains, et cetera. This bridge is a major
thoroughfare for the Northeast corridor. Over 34,000 vehicles a day
were transporting through the Francis Scott Key Bridge prior to it
being destroyed.
Now, the immediate impact: I think we have all seen the images of how
the bridge collapsed and that part of the bridge was actually on the
Dali vessel. The heart of the channel was completely blocked by the
debris of concrete and steel.
The immediate tragedy was the loss of life. When the Dali struck the
Francis Scott Key Bridge, there were eight people on the bridge. They
were doing dangerous work, repair work, in order to keep our roads
safer. Of the

[[Page S3378]]

eight people who were on the bridge, two were able to be rescued; six
perished as a result of the tragedy; and one of those, still, the body
has yet to be recovered. That is part of the priorities that we are
facing in dealing with this tragedy.
I want to just pause for one moment to once again thank the first
responders. As I indicated, what happened to the Dali, it lost power.
Within a matter of seconds after losing power, it struck the pier that
protected the support beams and hit the support beam, and the bridge
collapsed. Literally, within seconds after it lost power, the tragedy
occurred.
The extremely fast response by first responders was able to stop
traffic from going onto the bridge, saving many, many lives. And we
thank our first responders for their quick thinking and their
responding to protect public safety because this could have been a lot
worse in regards to the loss of life.
I also want to give a shout-out to our Federal Agencies for their
immediate response. I think the public should understand that the Coast
Guard, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Army Corps of
Engineers were all on the scene on the day of the tragedy and started
the unified command--a unified command where the Coast Guard took the
lead but all Agencies worked together.
They worked very closely with the State of Maryland, Governor Moore
providing that leadership in our State, and our State agencies working
with the unified command. They worked with our local government
officials. There are three jurisdictions that are directly impacted by
the bridge collapse: Baltimore City, and Mayor Brandon Scott was part
of that unified command providing the leadership we needed from the
city; Johnny Olszewski, the County Executive from Baltimore County, was
also part of that team; and Steuart Pittman, the County Executive from
Anne Arundel County, all became part of that unified command.
Within literally hours, Secretary Buttigieg was on the scene of the
catastrophic event. President Biden has visited the site and provided
direct leadership in directing the Federal Government to use all means
to help Baltimore deal with this tragedy. Many other Federal officials
were there.
I will give a shout-out to Administrator Guzman of the Small Business
Administration setting up outreach offices for small businesses that
were impacted so that they could get the type of help from the Federal
Government, the Small Business Administration, that could be offered.
And there were many, many others that were there.
I can't underscore too strongly the impact that this bridge collapse
had on the economies of our region. It was interesting: The Small
Business Administration accepted applications from every surrounding
State because small businesses in surrounding States were also impacted
by the channel being closed into the Port of Baltimore. There are about
15,000 jobs directly related to the Port of Baltimore. As I said, it is
the third largest port in the United States, as 1.1 million containers
are handled annually through the Port of Baltimore and $80 billion in
import-export goes through the Port of Baltimore every year. And on
March 26, the channel was closed. Ships that were in the port could not
leave, and no new vessels could come in.
When you looked at the wreckage, we all thought it would take an
incredible amount of time before the channels could be cleared; but
thanks to the unified leadership, thanks to the resources of the
Federal Government and the partnership of State and local governments,
there was very quick action to deal with the Port of Baltimore. Almost
immediately, two alternative channels were opened--one for 11 feet and
one for 15 feet.
Remember, the main channel was 50 feet. So you are not going to get
any major vessels, but we at least could get some tugs and barges
through to do a little bit of activity to keep the port still
operating.
And just recently, under the leadership of our Federal partners, we
were able to open up the northern part of the channel to a 35-foot
depth. That was very important because, within a month, we were able to
get about 75 percent of the vessels going in and out of the port, which
was critically important for the businesses.
We hope that, by the end of this week, we are going to have a 45-foot
channel opened for the port. And by the end of this month, we hope that
we will have a 700-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel reopened for full
operations of the Port of Baltimore. That is a Herculean task and could
not have been done but for the unified command and the cooperation of
all partners. And we thank them for that because, I must tell you, I
met with so many business owners who didn't even know if they could
survive as a result of the bridge collapse. And with the government
providing help, the Federal Government providing help--but it is
critically important to get the port opened as quickly as possible.
We also are moving forward immediately on the replacement of this
bridge. It is absolutely essential that the Francis Scott Key Bridge be
replaced as quickly as possible. We know that is going to take some
time. We know you are not going to be able to replace a bridge of this
magnitude in a matter of months. It is going to take longer than that.
We recognize that.
But as I said before, there are 34,000 vehicles that are now finding
other ways to transport through this area. Now, if they have hazardous
material, they cannot go through the tunnels that go through the port
area of Baltimore that were alternatives to the Francis Scott Key
Bridge. Hazardous materials are not permitted in the tunnels. That
means they either have to go through side roads or they have to go
around the beltway, which adds at least a half an hour or so to the
trip. And when you are dealing with thousands of containers and moving
many by truck, you can imagine the extra time and extra cost involved
as a result of the bridge being out. So it is critically important that
we replace the bridge as quickly as possible. The traffic jam problems
are real. We have to get this done as quickly as possible.
Now, we know that it is going to take some time. We have an estimate
of cost that the State of Maryland has provided to the Federal
Government, a range between $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion. I want to
thank the Biden administration again--and Secretary Buttigieg--for the
release of funds under the Emergency Relief Program, which has already
been made available to our State. These are 100 percent Federal funds
during this period of time, and we thank them for that.
This project will qualify for emergency relief funding under the
Department of Transportation. Those funds are, by law, 90-10. But we
have legislation in to carry out what President Biden requested--and I
will get to that in one moment--that the Federal Government pay 100
percent of the cost of the replacement of the bridge. We had the
Baltimore BRIDGE Relief Act that Senator Van Hollen and I have filed.
We have also filed it as an amendment to the FAA bill. We are looking
for the first opportunity to get this bill to the finish line, and I
would urge our colleagues to find a way that we can get that bill
passed as quickly as possible.
Let me just quote from OMB Director Young, who said that ``this
authorization''--this is legislation that the Biden administration has
urged Congress to pass:

This authorization would be consistent with past
catastrophic bridge collapses, including in 2007, when
Congress acted in a bipartisan manner within days of the I-
35W bridge collapse in Minnesota.

She went on to say that waiving Federal cost share is routine in
disasters of national significance. This is a disaster of national
significance. It may be the largest disaster of a bridge collapse ever
from the point of view of insurance claims and third-party liability.
So we are talking about a very disastrous situation, and it is very
appropriate that the Federal cost share be waived.
I want to assure our colleagues--and we put this in the legislation--
that any third-party recoveries in regards to the bridge replacement,
whether it is insurance coverage or whether it is third-party
liabilities coverage, will go back to the Emergency Relief Fund and the
Federal taxpayers. Federal taxpayers are on the hook right now for the
cost of the replacement of the bridge. They will get all the recoveries
in regards to it if this legislation were to pass.
I want to thank my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, for
their

[[Page S3379]]

support of our needs here. I have gotten calls from our Democratic and
Republican colleagues offering their support, and we thank them very
much for that. I hope that we can find a way to move this promptly.
I know that there are not too many bills that make it to the finish
line. And we are running out of time in this Congress, so I would urge
the cooperation of our colleagues to find the appropriate spot. And we
hope it can be on the FAA bill, but we need to get this done as quickly
as possible.
So let me just assure our colleagues that the story of the Francis
Scott Key Bridge doesn't end with this tragedy. We are a very resilient
community. The bridge will be rebuilt. The Port of Baltimore will be
back to full strength and continue to grow. It has been growing at a
very fast rate and will continue to show that type of growth.
As Governor Moore says, we are Maryland tough and Baltimore strong.
We intend to make sure the Port of Baltimore has everything it needs to
continue its growth and that the bridge is replaced.
With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I also come to the floor today to talk
about the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. And thanks to
modern technology, as I was driving in, I got to listen to the remarks
of my friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Maryland Ben
Cardin.
I want to start by thanking him for his leadership in the Federal
delegation. And I am going to cover some of the same points he made in
his remarks, and I think it bears repeating, both because of the
magnitude of this crisis, the national scale of this crisis, but also
because it showed Baltimore and Maryland and America at its best in
coming together in the aftermath of a tragedy to help those we lost and
to begin the rebuilding process.
For 47 years, the Francis Scott Key Bridge has been the backdrop of
millions of Marylanders' lives. They get up in the morning. They go to
work. It is an indelible part of the Baltimore City skyline, and it is
part of the daily commute for over 34,000 people.
Six weeks ago, when the Key Bridge collapsed in the early morning
hours of March 26, everyone immediately recognized the magnitude of
this disaster. In Baltimore, in Maryland, across the country, across
the world, people witnessed those images of the ship hitting one of the
piers on the bridge and the bridge coming down.
Six hard-working Marylanders lost their lives in that bridge
collapse. There were eight of them on the bridge at the time,
construction workers working late hours--hard jobs. We have been able
to find six of those whom we lost. We are still looking for the bodies
of one--excuse me. Eight people were on the bridge. Fortunately, two
survived. We lost six, and we are still looking for one.
Our priority from the very beginning has been, first of all, to find
all the victims and to comfort their families. Right after the bridge
came down, Coast Guard divers were out in the water every day, and they
remain there now until we find the last of those we lost. We are
incredibly grateful for the first responders who immediately jumped
into action, including a Maryland Transportation Authority officer on
site who worked to quickly stop the traffic from going onto the bridge,
further preventing further tragedy loss of life. In fact, there have
been interviews conducted of the last person across the bridge, and we
are grateful that he was able to escape and that no others lost their
lives that day. That was because of the heads-up efforts of a Maryland
Transportation Authority officer.
So to the MTA officers and to all the other first responders on the
scene this morning, we express our gratitude for preventing more loss
of life and for helping rescue the two individuals who survived the
crash and all the other work they did that day and since.
While first responders and salvage workers press ahead with recovery
efforts, the impact of the bridge collapse continues to reverberate
across Baltimore, across Maryland, in fact, across the country. The Key
Bridge is a gateway to trade in Maryland and the great Port of
Baltimore. When the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, its
hulking debris blocked the access needed for daily container ships,
barges, and recreational vessels to access port facilities and
Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
There are about 1,800 annual ship visits to the Port of Baltimore, so
you get a sense of just how busy it is. In fact, it is the busiest in
the Nation in handling automobiles, light trucks, farm and construction
machinery, imported forest products, and aluminum and sugar. These
goods come in through Baltimore and from that great hub are transported
elsewhere across this great land. At full capacity, the Port of
Baltimore generates 20,000 direct jobs, including 2,400 union
longshoremen who load and unload that cargo every day. The port also
supports another 24,000 in induced jobs supported by local purchases
and 7,200 indirect jobs. So the impact in terms of jobs and employment
of the Port of Baltimore is vast, not just in the city and not just in
Maryland but well beyond.
Fortunately, for Maryland, when the bridge collapsed, we had strong
partners coming to our assistance, including the strong partners in the
White House. On the day of the disaster, President Biden immediately
went straight to work. He reached out directly to Senator Cardin, to
myself, to Governor Moore, to Mayor Scott, and our State and local
partners, not only to express sympathy in the aftermath of this tragedy
but to let us know that he had already ordered the full mobilization of
the disaster response arm of the Federal Government, resulting in the
unified command led by the Coast Guard. And they came together
immediately to help manage the disaster response and begin the recovery
effort.
As Senator Cardin indicated, it was a team. While the Coast Guard was
the quarterback, we also had the partners from the State and Governor
Moore. Our great Governor quickly mobilized Maryland assets. Mayor
Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, mobilized the city assets, as
did the county executives from surrounding counties like County
Executive Pittman in Anne Arundel County and Johnny Olszewski, the
county executive in Baltimore County.
And so within hours of the bridge collapse, you had all levels of
government stepping up and working together, working to help the
families who lost loved ones, making sure that they have the help they
need in the aftermath of their terrible loss and personal tragedy and
coming together to help the workers who lost their jobs because the
Port of Baltimore's business ground to almost a halt in those first
hours and, of course, to the small businesses that were sidelined
because of the hit to the Port of Baltimore.
In fact, less than 2 weeks after the collapse of the bridge, the
Governor and the Maryland General Assembly stepped up and passed the
PORT Act, which provided direct economic support through small business
grants and the Port of Baltimore Worker Retention Program and the
Worker Support Program to help those workers who lost their jobs and
were not immediately eligible for unemployment benefits. That bill also
created scholarship programs for the families of those who died on the
job.
And then President Biden and the entire administration have been part
of this relief effort and response effort from day one. As Senator
Cardin indicated, the Small Business Administration provided Economic
Injury Disaster Loan relief and opened three business recovery centers
to help business owners in completing their applications. And through
the Department of Labor, the Federal Government delivered over $3.5
million in emergency dislocated worker grant funding to workers who had
such financial loss. These efforts were essential to soften the blow to
workers and to businesses harmed by the bridge collapse.
But as Senator Cardin indicated, from the very start, everyone
understood that the best way to help those workers who were out of a
job because of the collapse and to help those small businesses and to
help the surrounding

[[Page S3380]]

State and economy was to open the channel to the Port of Baltimore. And
almost immediately, the Biden administration--Secretary Buttigieg--
initiated the process to provide $60 million from the Emergency Relief
Program to help those efforts. And the State of Maryland and the city
used some of those efforts to start clearing debris from the bridge
that fell to clear the channel.
They used other parts of those funds to deal with traffic mitigation
and relief because the trucks that carried hazardous material that used
to go over the bridge could not go through the Baltimore tunnel. They
had to go around the Baltimore Beltway. So those funds were very
helpful in that effort. But, again, the main focus was on clearing that
channel so we could reopen it for shipping purposes.
The good news is, because of the work of the Army Corps of Engineers,
in particular, they dug a series of channels of increasing depths, and
not that long ago we were able to clear a 35-foot channel which helped
restore about 75 percent of the shipping into and out of the Port of
Baltimore. There are now 549 transits, ship transits, coming into and
out of the Port of Baltimore on a regular basis. So these are ships
that are being loaded now by about 200 international longshoremen,
which gives you a sense of how people are getting back to work. And the
goal is, by the end of this month, to clear the full 50-foot channel--
which is the main channel in and out of the Port of Baltimore--for the
container ships. At that point in time, we hope to have the Port of
Baltimore fully up and running.
This, as Senator Cardin said, as the President of the United States
said, as we all know, is a national tragedy. Yes, the bridge is in
Baltimore, but it is a key connector on the east coast for commerce,
both trucking and getting equipment and material in and out of the Port
of Baltimore as well as others. That is why the President of the United
States called upon the Federal Government to support funding the full
costs of replacing the Key Bridge.
In addition to the initial $60 million that came out of the Emergency
Relief Program--thank you to Secretary Buttigieg who almost immediately
enrolled the State of Maryland and found us eligible to be included in
that program for the purpose of rebuilding the Key Bridge. Just like
all the other projects that are part of that program from around the
country, the Federal Government supports 90 percent of those costs.
Therefore, in order to make sure we make good on the pledge for 100
percent support because of this national tragedy, the entire Maryland
delegation has been united in introducing the legislation that would
make good on the President's commitment for 100 percent funding.
I want to thank Senator Cardin. I see he has now returned to the
floor. Again, I appreciate all your efforts leading a Federal ``Team
Maryland'' here, and I am proud to join you and our partners in the
House, including Congressman Mfume, who represents this congressional
district, in introducing that legislation on a bipartisan basis, the
Baltimore BRIDGE Relief Act, to ensure that we cover 100 percent of the
costs federally.
As Senator Cardin, very importantly, pointed out, that legislation
does make clear that any funds that are recovered through third
parties, whether insurance or through lawsuits, will be returned to
that Federal fund. I want to assure our colleagues of that.
Let me just end, really, where Senator Cardin concluded his remarks,
in two parts: first of all, by thanking our colleagues--Democratic
colleagues, Republican colleagues--who reached out in the aftermath of
this terrible catastrophe to say they stood with us and would help us
as we restore the port and rebuild the Key Bridge and then again a
thank-you to the people of Baltimore and the people of Maryland who
demonstrated their amazing resilience during this terrible chapter and
continue to do so every day, people who came together and volunteered
to bring sandwiches to the folks at the Coast Guard, people who
volunteered their services in an array of other ways just to help the
cause, to help at that moment of tragedy, and to begin the process of
healing and rebuilding.
It has been a team effort. I want to thank our Governor. I want to
thank the mayor of Baltimore. We have come together as a State, and
America has come together, not just in sympathy but to demonstrate
support.
I just ask, along with Senator Cardin and our colleagues, to make
sure that we move on this legislation just as quickly as possible. This
is why Senator Cardin and I have offered it as an amendment to the FAA
legislation that is in front of this body right now. That is an
expression of the urgency with which we take this challenge, and we
just ask our colleagues to join us in recognizing that urgency so that
we can do it together.
When we saw the terrible collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis many,
many years ago, the Congress rallied together very quickly to say that
the U.S. Government would stand with the people of Minnesota in that
hour of need and tragedy, and we ask our colleagues the same. I know
that spirit is there in this body. We just hope that spirit now will be
accompanied by the legislation to get the job done. The President has
asked us to do it.
This is a moment for us to come together on a bipartisan--indeed, a
nonpartisan basis and get this done and show that even in the toughest
of times, our country does rally together to help those who have been
injured, those who have been hurt.
Out of this disaster will come a triumph as we rebuild the bridge and
we resume full business at the Port of Baltimore and, finally, we
continue to help those families who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Maryland.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I just wanted to compliment my colleague
Senator Van Hollen for his comments. I think he has said it the way
that everyone in Maryland feels. We have worked together as a team on
this. This is a national tragedy. We thank our Federal partners for
their help. We are proud of the unified efforts that have evolved.
I appreciate Senator Van Hollen's comments about just ordinary
citizens who have really rallied behind the situation, helping their
neighbors, providing food, providing opportunities that were lost as a
result of the bridge collapse. It has really been gratifying to see the
unity and support of our community.
We need this legislation passed. I urge our colleagues to find a way
that we can get this done as quickly as possible.
I thank my colleague Senator Van Hollen for his incredible leadership
during this time.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Markey). The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.