Buttigieg: We May Turn to Congress for Additional Funds for Baltimore’s Bridge, After the Federal Gov’t Has Used the Emergency Relief

O’KEEFE: “To that point about funding, we’ve heard that it sounds like most of this is going to be paid for by the federal government, either about 90 percent, 80 percent, depending on how works, the rest by the state. Where’s that money going to come from?”
Buttigieg: “So, we’re using an authority called the emergency relief — this is through our Federal Highway Administration, that’s how we got those first $60 million out, and there will be more where that came from. Now, it is possible we may need to turn to Congress to supplement that fund. That has happened in the past. If you remember the 2007 bridge collapse in Minnesota, ultimately, about $260 million put together, including funds that were put through Congress on a bipartisan basis, and I hope and expect this too will be a bipartisan priority.”
O’KEEFE: “So what exactly would be the pitch to any skeptical lawmaker who says, ‘Why on earth should we have to pay for this?’”
Buttigieg: “Well, the pitch is, your district could be next. And also, this has historically been bipartisan. And I’m not just reaching back to a bygone era. Remember, the infrastructure package itself, President Biden’s infrastructure plan went through on a bipartisan basis. A lot of people didn’t think that was possible when we got here in 2021, but the president never gave up on the idea, and sure enough, a lot of Republicans were willing to cross the aisle, work with President Biden, work with Democrats to get this done.”