White House Requests $4 Billion for Emergency Repairs Amid Major Disasters

The White House is requesting around $4 billion from Congress for emergency funding to address the collapse and repair of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge and other recent disasters. This request, part of a broader $56 billion ask from last October, includes funds for the Department of Transportation, Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers.

The White House is urgently seeking approximately $4 billion from Congress to cover the costs of repairing Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge and responding to a series of other recent disasters across the United States.

This emergency request is part of a broader $56 billion funding appeal the Biden administration made last October, which was largely disregarded by Congress at the time. Now, the administration has renewed its request, adding billions more to address the bridge reconstruction and related costs.

Specifically, the Biden administration is asking for an additional $3.1 billion for the Department of Transportation to handle the Key Bridge reconstruction, with the federal government shouldering the entire cost. An additional $80 million would go to the Coast Guard, covering unexpected expenses tied to the March bridge collapse. Also included is $33 million for the Army Corps of Engineers for wreckage removal after the bridge was damaged by a cargo ship.

The request, detailed in a letter from Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), asserts that the funds are vital for federal responsibilities and disaster response. The requested $4 billion also covers costs from various other disasters over the past year, such as the Midwest tornadoes and the wildfires in Hawaii.

Investigators revealed that the cargo ship involved in the bridge collapse had suffered electrical blackouts, which contributed to the tragic incident that resulted in six construction worker deaths.

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