The U.S. Navy is sending barges and support vessels Thursday into the Port of Baltimore to begin to clear debris following Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
“This marks a step forward in the recovery process,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden traveled to New York ahead of a planned campaign reception.
Biden “continues to lead an all-of-government response to the tragic collapse” of the bridge, Jean-Pierre said. The bridge collapsed after a pillar was struck by the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali.
The president met Wednesday with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Gautier in the Oval Office, Jean-Pierre added. The president has also been in touch with Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon of the Army Corps of Engineers, she said.
