(Reuters) – President Joe Biden visited Baltimore on Friday to survey the site of a collapsed bridge, amid growing tension in Congress over using federal dollars to rebuild the bridge.
On March 26, a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse in the harbor. Work is underway to clear the debris and restore traffic through the shipping channel.
Biden’s visit comes as state and federal officials have raised concerns about the potential economic hardships the port closure could have on the regional economy.
According to the State of Maryland, the Port of Baltimore ranks first in the United States for the volume of autos and light trucks and agricultural and construction machinery handled. Most traffic has been suspended since the accident, although some terminals outside the affected area have resumed operations.
There are growing signs of divisions among some US lawmakers over using new federal dollars to rebuild the bridge.
Federal officials have told Maryland lawmakers that the final cost of rebuilding the bridge could rise to at least $2 billion.
On Friday, the White House Office of Management and Budget sent a letter to Congress asking the federal government to cover all costs of replacing the bridge.
The incident has already idled thousands of port workers who depend on it for jobs.
Top White House officials such as Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, senior adviser Tom Perez and economic adviser Lael Brainard have called large employers in the Baltimore area to encourage them to retain workers, a White House official said .
The White House said local employers including United Parcel Service, Amazon.co, Home Depot and Mercedes-Benz are committed to retaining their workers.
The Small Business Administration has also made low-interest disaster loans available, and Biden’s supply chain task force has met several times to analyze the impact, “which has been manageable so far,” the official said.
