Janet Yellen walks back Biden’s comments US taxpayers on hook for Baltimore bridge collapse

[CaptainMaverick]

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday appeared to walk back comments from President Joe Biden that U.S. taxpayers would foot the bill for the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. 

Appearing on MSNBC Wednesday, Yellen said money from the bipartisan infrastructure law could "potentially be helpful." 

"My expectation would be that ultimately there will be insurance payments, in part, to cover this. But we don’t want to allow worrying about where the financing will come from to hold up reconstruction," Yellen said. 

 

Her comments come a day after Biden said it was his "intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort." 

 

Biden said that, while the effort will take some time, the people of Baltimore "can count on us." 

The Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland collapsed in the Baltimore harbor around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after a cargo ship slammed into a support beam. The collapse sent at least eight construction workers and multiple vehicles plunging into the Patapsco River below.