Oct. 29 (UPI) — President Joe Biden cited the reopening of the Port of Baltimore in June as evidence of the great things that can be done by investing in America and its infrastructure.
Biden spoke at an open-air event on a dock at the Port of Baltimore and lauded the port’s re-opening after that deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that killed six bridge workers in March.
Biden said union workers and federal agencies made it possible to open the port about 2.5 months after the bridge collapse.
“The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class,” Biden said.
After the cargo ship Dali struck the bridge and caused its collapse early in the morning on March 26, Biden said 30,000 people lost their daily route to work, school and home and “40,000 paychecks” were put at risk.
“We did everything possible to open this port as fast as possible,” Biden said. “We removed 50,000 tons of concrete and steel.”
Many estimated it would take six months to re-open the port, but Biden said, “You cleared it in 78 days.”
He said $60 million in federal funding and grants helped fund the cleanup and kept businesses open.
Now that the port is reopened, Biden said 8,000 people are back to work and the Port of Baltimore handles 100,000 tons of cargo every day.
“We won’t stop until a new bridge is finished,” Biden said. “We have to build it back better than before.”
He wants Congress to fully fund new bridge construction this year and cited the Port of Baltimore and the pending replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as examples of his “Investing in America” policy.
One of two shipping containers located near the stage held an “Investing in America” sign.
Other examples Biden cited as part of his infrastructure and investment policy include $3 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act for projects in 27 states and territories and $447 million to upgrade equipment and energy at the Port of Baltimore.
He said the port and other locations have depended on fossil fuels for too long, which causes “dangerous pollution” that afflicts children with asthma, heart disease, lung disease and cancer.
Cutting costs at the nation’s port facilities will extend supply chains, make businesses more competitive, lower consumer costs and create 40,000 new jobs, Biden said.
He cited the Port of Baltimore as an example, where 2,000 new jobs were created for longshoremen, iron workers and others.
Those are “good-paying union jobs you can raise your families on,” Biden said. “This is what we call ‘investing in America.’ It’s working!”
Biden said the United States has the world’s strongest economy thanks to legislation enacted during his presidency, including the Chips and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act and fighting climate change.
The United States is the only nation that emerges from a crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, stronger than what it was before the crisis occurred, Biden added.
He said his administration created a record 16 million new jobs, wages are up and inflation is down to the same rate it was before the pandemic.
His administration brought jobs and factories back to the United States, he said, and 19 million new business applications have been filed since he took office.
“Consumer confidence is up [and] the economy is growing,” Biden said. “The middle class is doing well.”
He said he felt a sense of pride with the rapid reopening of the Port of Baltimore.
“A true measure of a person is not how often you get knocked down,” Biden said. “It’s how fast you get back on your feet.”
“That’s what ‘Baltimore Strong’ is,” Biden added. “Let’s keep working together.”
The president spoke for about 15 minutes during the event that started at 2 p.m. EDT and ended about 30 minutes later.
