Biden visits Baltimore after deadly bridge collapse

President Joe Biden on Friday traveled to Baltimore to visit the site of the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, which left six presumed dead and is expected to have a major impact on the port's economy.

Biden took an aerial tour of the wreckage, and he will "deliver remarks reaffirming his commitment to the people of Baltimore," the White House said. The president will also receive an operational update on response efforts, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a Thursday briefing.

Leaders from the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers will share the status of their efforts to remove the wreckage and reopen the port of Baltimore.

The Army Corps of Engineers expects "to open a limited access channel for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment by the end of April" and "restore the port to normal capacity by the end of May," the White House said.

Biden will appear alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other Maryland and Baltimore officials, Jean-Pierre said.

“As the president said within hours of the collapse, this administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way,” she said, reiterating a statement she gave at a press briefing Monday.

The president will also meet with bridge collapse victims’ loved ones, the White House said.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early on the morning of March 26 when a cargo ship collided with a support pillar. The remains of two people who were killed have been recovered, and four others are presumed dead.

Crews working to remove the wreckage have opened two temporary channels to allow limited traffic to pass by the bridge. They are working to open a third channel for larger ships as well.

Biden addressed the disaster during remarks in the hours following the collapse, saying that the White House would send “all the federal resources they need” and that they would rebuild the port. He also said that he intended for the federal government to pay the entire cost of reconstructing the bridge.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young sent a letter to congressional leaders on Friday asking them to authorize "a 100 percent Federal cost share for rebuilding the bridge."

“To the people of Baltimore, I want to say: We’re with you. We’re going to stay with you as long as takes. And like [Moore] said, you’re Maryland tough, you’re Baltimore strong, and we’re going to get through this together,” Biden said during his remarks last week. “And I promise: We’re not leaving.”

The National Economic Council has also convened the administration's Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to coordinate federal efforts to support affected industries in the aftermath of the collapse, the White House announced last week.

“We are much better equipped to mitigate supply chain disruptions than we were just a few years ago, thanks to increased coordination across the supply chain and new efforts to strengthen both our physical and digital infrastructure,” Buttigieg said in a statement.

Also last week, the Department of Transportation announced $60 million in emergency relief funds to go toward rebuilding the bridge. The White House said it would serve as a "down payment" for initial costs.

In 2023, the Baltimore port near the bridge, a key shipping hub and source of jobs, “handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo, worth $80 billion,” Moore announced in February. The port also generated more than 15,000 direct jobs, “with nearly 140,000 jobs linked to port activities,” he said in the statement.