Freedom Caucus Seeks Limits on Federal Funding of Baltimore Bridge Rebuild

The congressional caucus stated that allocated federal funds must be offset and that ‘burdensome regulations’ must be waived to ‘avoid all unnecessary delays.’

The House Freedom Caucus is taking a measured approach regarding federal funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore following its collapse last week.

In a statement released on April 5, the hardline conservative group said that before Congress allocates funding to fix the 1.6-mile bridge, it should first “seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront” and that “the Port of Baltimore draws upon already available federal funds.”

No liabilities have been determined, though the owner and manager of the Dali, the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge on March 26, filed a court petition on April 1 seeking to limit their legal liability for the deadly disaster.

The companies’ “limitation of liability” petition is a routine but important procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. A federal court in Maryland ultimately decides who is responsible—and how much they owe—for what could become one of the costliest catastrophes of its kind.

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the ship’s manager.

Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million. It estimates that the vessel itself is valued at up to $90 million and was owed over $1.1 million in income from freight. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

A report from the credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS predicts that the recent bridge collapse could become the most expensive marine insurance loss in history, surpassing the record $1.5 billion set after the 2012 shipwreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy.

The Freedom Caucus stated that any federal funds allocated must be offset and that “burdensome regulations” must be waived “to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.”

The congressional caucus said the regulations include: the National Environmental Policy Act, which “requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions,” the Endangered Species Act, and the Davis-Bacon Act which covers “contractors and subcontractors performing on federally funded or assisted contracts in excess of $2,000 for the construction, alteration, or repair (including painting and decorating) of public buildings or public works.”

The Freedom Caucus said the funding “must be limited to physical structure repairs with a federal nexus, this must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects and the House of Representatives must adhere to the ‘single subject’ rule.” This means legislation coming out of the lower congressional chamber can only focus on a single principal matter.

Finally, the Freedom Caucus said that funding for the bridge must be contingent on the Biden administration reversing its pause on the approval of exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) to companies that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States. Most countries do not have such a deal. The House passed legislation in February to reverse this pause in LNG exports.

The statement comes as President Joe Biden will visit the scene of the collapse on April 5. His administration has committed to provide $60 million in emergency funding to cover the costs of initial mobilization, operations, and debris recovery.

“The president has been very, very clear: He wants to make sure that we make the community of Baltimore whole again,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a media briefing on April 4. “And he has said that the federal government will certainly cover the bridge being built.”

Along with rebuilding the bridge, she said the administration’s focus is to ensure the ports are open and to assist in the recovery effort to “clean out that area.”

During his visit, the president is expected to receive an operational update on response efforts to reopen the Port of Baltimore as swiftly as possible, according to the White House.

The president will be joined in Baltimore by Gov. Wes Moore, Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Mayor Brandon Scott, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

During his visit, President Biden will also be given an aerial tour of the federal and state response efforts.

The Associated Press, Emel Akan, and T.J. Muscaro contributed to this report.