The following is a transcript of an interview with Maryland Governor Wes Moore that aired April 7, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Read more about the recovery from last month’s collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and the rebuilding plan. We are now joined by Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Governor, welcome.
GOVERNMENT WES MOORE: Thank you very much. Thank you for.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we are very sorry for the recovery and the fatal accident. How do you describe where we are in this process of recovery and potentially rebuilding?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: Well, I think first of all the state is still heartbroken. We lost six Marylanders. Just yesterday we found the body of Maynor Sandoval and in our hearts we continue to be with the families and with all the families. But we also know that we have a long road to recovery. But this path and this recovery is happening. You know, the enormity of this collapse cannot be overstated. We are literally talking about a ship that is the size of the Eiffel Tower and the weight of the Washington Monument that now sits in the middle of the Patapsco River with a simply iconic bridge. I don’t know what the Baltimore skyline looks like without the Key Bridge. It’s been there since I’ve been alive. And it now sits at the bottom of the river, with part of it on top of the ship. The recovery will therefore be long. But the resilience we’ve seen from the people of our state and the city of Baltimore has been inspiring and we’ve really rallied together.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So we heard during the president’s visit this reiteration of a pretty aggressive timeline, though, to get things back up and running, maybe even by the end of May. Is this realistic?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: It’s realistic. And I think it’s going to take time. This will be a 24/7 operation…
MARGARET BRENNAN: — To be fully operational?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: To have full operation. And that means being able to not only continue the maritime operations that we carry out. And also, you have to understand how important this port is not only to Baltimore, but to the entire country. And right now, if you look at the Port of Baltimore, we have operations that are happening by truck and by rail. It’s just… it’s the maritime operations that are stopped. But we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that we bring closure and comfort to these families so that we can reopen that channel to be able to support our workers and support the families that have been affected by this and also begin the process reconstruction of the bridge. This is a tight schedule, but we will be working around the clock to ensure we meet this schedule.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I read – okay, I have something more to say with you, but I have to take a commercial break. So please stay here with us. And I hope you all stay with us in a moment as well.
– COMMERCIAL BREAK –
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome to Face the Nation, we continue our conversation with Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Governor, I would like to return to this question of how to rebuild and how quickly. I know you will be heading to the Capitol this week to meet with lawmakers and discuss funding. Senator Van Hollen just mentioned that there are reports that the price could be as high as a billion or more. How much are you asking from us, taxpayers?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: Well, we don’t know yet – but we do know what the price will be. What we do know is that the Port of Baltimore is responsible for $70 billion in economic activity for the U.S. economy. We know that the Key Bridge had more than 36,000 people crossing it every day, people going from where they live, to their place of work, to their place of worship, to their school. So it is extremely important to know that this is not just a tragedy with regional implications, but a tragedy with national implications. The Port of Baltimore is this country’s largest port, for new cars, heavy trucks, farm equipment, spices and sugar. It is therefore imperative at this time to have a collective and bipartisan response to its reconstruction.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So the president promised that federal funds would rebuild the bridge, he repeated that on Friday. And then he added that he would make sure that the responsible parties also paid to repair the damage. How is it going to work that taxpayers put up the money and then insurance claims reimburse them? How will this work?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: That’s exactly true. So basically what he’s saying is, and I thank the president for saying this will be a national response to something that is a national tragedy. And at the same time, if people are going to be held accountable for what happened, they need to be held accountable. There is an independent NTSB investigation underway at this time. I can tell you, I want this investigation to be quick, I want it to be thorough. And if people are going to be held accountable, they need to answer for what happened that night.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But the courts intentionally did not operate expeditiously here. And shipowner Grace Ocean and the ship’s manager filed a request to limit their liability to $44 million. Do you expect them to pay for anything?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: We expected this to happen. We were prepared for this to happen, there will be an independent investigation that will take place. And if they are found responsible for what happened, then they must take responsibility for helping with this cleanup.
MARGARET BRENNAN: President Biden also said Friday during his visit to the port that US Steel and union labor would be used to rebuild it. Can you act quickly with these kinds of stipulations?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: Well, I think it’s going to be important that we build and rebuild this in a way that’s on time and on budget, with a very clear plan. I think if there’s one thing people know about the work that we’ve done in the state of Maryland, you know, we believe in labor, we believe in union work, and we believe in ensure that these key criteria are respected. I know this is going to be a long project. This is going to be an expensive project. And it’s going to require a lot of hands and different elements inside. But I think people know now that we support unions in our state.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How is it going so far?
GOVERNMENT MOORE: I was amazed, because if you had told me nine days ago, after what I saw that first morning, that we could be here this Sunday morning, with canals already open, ships already which are at a level 14 feet deep which are now able to cross the river and reach the port. If you would have told me that we had already started moving, you know, we have now removed hundreds of tons from the river. And if you look at the fact that even in the last few days, we’ve received – we’ve removed over 250 tons from the river, that’s equivalent to the weight of the Statue of Liberty. And so, I was amazed at how much of this coordination between the federal government, the state, the local authorities, the Coast Guard, the Navy, the Army Corps of Engineers, how everything works in sync and I was very proud of the response. .
MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, good luck. Thanks for the effort. We appreciate your time today.
Grub5
