Biden pledges 'all the federal resources they need' to assist Baltimore with bridge collapse

 

In brief remarks at the White House, the president said he pledged "all necessary federal resources" to Governor Wes Moore and other Maryland officials to recover from the disaster.

“Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident and all the families, especially those who are still waiting for news of their loved ones. I know that in that situation every minute feels like a lifetime. I Don't know. It's terrible," Biden said.

The President said the ongoing search and rescue operations remain the government's "top priority". He said ship traffic in the port has been suspended and cannot be resumed until the bridge debris is cleared - an effort led by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Biden called the Port of Baltimore "one of the largest shipping hubs in the country," noting that approximately 850,000 vehicles travel through the port each year. "15,000 jobs depend on that port. We're going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers," Biden said.

Asked whether Synergy Marine Group, the company that manages the ship, called Dali, should be held responsible for the damage, Biden said it "could be."

"But we won't wait for that to happen," the president said. "We're going to pay for it and get the bridge rebuilt and inaugurated."