But of course they did
President Joe Biden on Friday visited the fallen Key Bridge site in Baltimore and pledged to citizens that “your nation has your back.”
“My administration is committed, absolutely committed, to ensuring that parties responsible for this tragedy pay to repair the damage and be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law will allow, but I also want to be clear: We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that’s here now,” he said at the foot of the downed bridge, with the wind whipping behind him.
Well, not the entire nation. While Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young has requested Congress to authorize “a 100 percent Federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge,” unconditional support is out of fashion for the party dominated by a former president whose every decision is transactional (also Politico):
The House Freedom Caucus signaled Friday that they’re open to giving federal funds to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, but they have a few significant conditions.
The conservative hardliners’ caveats include: They want the Biden administration to reverse course on its pause on new export terminal permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and for any spending to be fully offset by cuts elsewhere. Notably, Speaker Mike Johnson had recently floated a proposal to link long-stalled Ukraine aid with easing that same energy policy.
So not so fast:
And it’s not just Freedom Caucus Republicans who’ve cautioned against a hasty federal response to the Baltimore tragedy. Many GOP lawmakers have urged that officials exhaust existing federal pots of money before considering new spending.
“If it proves necessary to appropriate taxpayer money to get one of America’s busiest ports back online, Congress should ensure it is fully offset and that burdensome regulations … are waived,” the Freedom Caucus position reads, pointing to various environmental and labor rules.
Biden wants union laborers to rebuild the bridge with “union labor and American steel.” The Freedom Caucus’ conditions include waiving environmental and union wage regulations “to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.”
At least they didn’t throw in renaming Dulles Airport after Donald Trump as a condition. Democrats responded to that with a snarky proposal to rename a federal prison in Miami after Trump (Axios):
Driving the news: The two-page measure would redesignate the Miami Federal Correctional Institution in Florida as the “Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution.”
- It is being introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who represents a district that Dulles Airport falls within; Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who represents part of Greater Miami; and John Garamendi (D-Calif.).
Between the lines: The bill is a pithy way of drawing attention to the 91 state and federal criminal charges Trump is facing across four cases.
It’s a wonder anything gets done in this congress. Which if you are the Freedom Caucus is the goal.
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