The White House wants $4 billion to rebuild Key Bridge in Baltimore and respond to other disasters

WASHINGTON — The White House is seeking roughly $4 billion in additional emergency funding from Congress for costs related to the collapse and repair of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore and to respond to other disasters that have occurred around the U.S. in recent months. More specifically, the Biden administration wants an additional $3.1 billion for the Department of Transportation, which would go toward rebuilding Key Bridge with the federal government picking up the entire tab. Young says that making this money available “would ensure that the federal government fulfills its responsibility to rebuild Baltimore without endangering America’s ability to respond to other recent or future disasters across the nation.” The additional $4 billion also covers costs for other disasters over the past year, including a spate of tornadoes in the Midwest and the wildfires in Hawaii. The cargo ship experienced electrical blackouts about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore and yet again shortly before it slammed into the Key Bridge, killing six construction workers, federal investigators said last month.