Francis Scott Key Bridge

Floor Speech

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Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Today, I rise, as fellow members of my delegation have, to speak regarding the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and especially to honor the memory of the hardworking men who lost their lives the morning the bridge collapsed.

These hardworking men were fellow Marylanders: husbands, fathers, brothers, and friends. Their passing serves as a solemn reminder to cherish our own lives and the lives of those we love deeply.

Mr. Speaker, the Maryland congressional delegation stands united as we mourn those lost and extend our heartfelt condolences to their grieving families.

I also want to take a moment to recognize Maryland's brave first responders whose heroic actions saved lives the morning the Key Bridge collapsed. Once that mayday call was issued from the approaching ship, Maryland Transportation Authority Police acted quickly and, in less than 2 minutes, stopped traffic from coming over the bridge. There is no doubt these immediate actions saved lives and averted an even greater tragedy.

We thank those officers who protect us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even in the middle of the night while most of us are asleep, as was the case that day.

Mr. Speaker, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the closure of the Port of Baltimore has caused serious economic consequences for our State's economy. The Baltimore Port is the largest U.S. port for handling farming construction machinery. It handles agricultural products. It is also a large export facility for American coal.

Mr. Speaker, 15,000 jobs directly depend on the Port of Baltimore.

I especially thank the Army Corps of Engineers for their quick and tireless work to get the channel cleared so that the port can reopen as soon as possible.

As we continue to work on the cleanup phase of the bridge collapse, it is important that we seek maximum liability from those foreign companies that owned and operated the ship that crashed into the bridge. As I have long said, American taxpayers in both Maryland and across the country should not be held responsible to pay for the cost to rebuild a bridge if, indeed, there was negligence on the part of foreign-owned shipping companies.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, tragedy knows no partisanship. The Key Bridge collapse wasn't a Republican tragedy, and it wasn't a Democrat tragedy. The solution to clearing the channel, reopening the port, and building the bridge back even better than it was before won't be a partisan solution. It will be a bipartisan one.

As we navigate the necessary legislation going forward, we all commit in the delegation to working in a bipartisan way to cut through Federal red tape, clear that channel, open that port, and construct an even better, safer bridge so that our fellow Marylanders, Maryland's economy, and those affected by this tragedy will come back stronger, safer, and united.

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