Joe Biden pledges to rebuild Baltimore bridge with federal taxpayer dollars

President Biden said the Baltimore bridge collapse was a “terrible accident” and there is no evidence that it was an act of terrorism.

He pledged that the federal government would pay the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge and he said he expected Congress to support the spending.

Mr. Biden spoke from the White House hours after a cargo ship crashed Tuesday into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The cargo ship Dali, which was headed to Sri Lanka hit a support beam on the bridge around 1:30 am. The impact caused the bridge to fall into the water.

“Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident,” Mr. Biden said. “At this time we have no other indication, no reason to believe there’s any intentional act here.”

The Dali appeared to lose power before it hit the bridge and issued a mayday call, allowing authorities to clear the bridge, potentially limiting the loss of life.

Mr. Biden said lives were saved because the ship’s crew alerted the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of the vessel.

He said the government was going to rebuild the bridge before determining if the owner should pay any damages for the accident.

“It is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge,” he said. “I expect the Congress to support my effort — this is going to take some time.”

“We’re going to stay with you as long as it takes,” he said, speaking to Baltimore officials and residents.

A search-and-rescue effort is underway with divers and emergency personnel desperately hunting for people believed to have fallen from the collapsing structure. At least six people are unaccounted for, officials said.

Mr. Biden earlier Tuesday convened senior members of his team for a briefing on the emergency response and directed them to ensure that all federal resources would be made available.

The president said he would visit Baltimore but did not provide specifics.