President Joe Biden spoke briefly on Tuesday about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, referring to it as “a terrible accident” and promising federal support. A container ship rammed into the bridge in the early hours of the morning, collapsing it and sending vehicles and debris into the river below. An ongoing rescue effort continues as of the publishing of this story.
“I told them we’re going to send all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency—I mean, all the federal resources,” he said. “And we’re going to rebuild that port together.”
“Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident, all the families, especially those waiting for the news of their loved one right now,” he said. “I know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime.”
The president dismissed any determination of blame at this early stage, and he explained that the bridge and the port it served were too important to delay fixing.
The conservative response to the tragedy was a lot less serious and far more craven. Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, speaking with Florida Sen. Rick Scott, used the FBI reports that there was no evidence of “nefarious intent” to tie the accident to immigration and the southern border.
“But of course, you’ve [Scott] been talking a lot about the potential for wrongdoing or potential for foul play given the wide-open border. That is why you have been so adamant,” she said.
Bartiromo asked the senator why the Republican Party had been unable to get the border secured, but instead of talking about how Republican members of the Senate torpedoed the bipartisan border security deal they themselves brokered, Scott vaguely blamed Biden. Bartiromo and Scott then pivoted to worrying whether this tragedy will create inflation.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina blamed underfunded infrastructure and Biden for the bridge collapse. In an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday, Mace began by saying that her “heart goes out to those families who’ve been affected,” but she abruptly switched to an attack on the Biden administration, saying that “we’re not spending [infrastructure money] on roads and bridges.”
“I look at South Carolina when the infrastructure bill came through. We only got about $1 billion more than we otherwise would have over a five-year period,” Mace told the host. “I can barely build a bridge in my district for $1 billion.”
Mace voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, as did all but 13 of her Republican colleagues. But despite her votes and her big talk on Tuesday, she has previously boasted about the funds her state received because of the law.
Finally, American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp told Newsmax on Tuesday that he thought COVID-19 lockdowns and “drug-addled” workers might be tied to the accident.
“You know, you look at our critical infrastructure, and I’m one of these people that believes we’ve never fully come out of all the lockdowns and the COVID issues,” Schlaap said. He claimed to speak to “employers in America” about this, saying, “They’ll tell you that filling slots with employees who aren’t drug-addled is a very huge problem.”
