On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “ReidOut,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) reacted to the bridge collapse in Baltimore by stating that “Secretary Buttigieg will tell you that you can never have enough regulations when human life and property is at risk, and in this instance, where the vital lifeline, economic lifeline, of an entire state is at risk.”
Host Joy Reid asked, “[W]hen I saw this, this morning and saw the livestream that was up, I wonder about the federal regulation aspect of it. Republicans tend to hate regulation, but this seems like a textbook place where regulation is needed, right? Is that something that you discussed with Secretary Buttigieg or that you want to discuss with the administration? Because regulation is what keeps large ships from being in the vicinity of vulnerable infrastructure such that things like this could happen.”
Mfume responded, “You’re absolutely right, Joy. This whole notion is being revisited. Most people would say, technically, that there were plenty of regulations in place. These ships are brought down the bay with a, quote, pilot who has to go through seven years of training before they can guide ships out by directing the captain or the navigator of the ship. And there were, at some point, tugboats moving the ship initially out of the harbor. But even Secretary Buttigieg will tell you that you can never have enough regulations when human life and property is at risk, and in this instance, where the vital lifeline, economic lifeline, of an entire state is at risk.”
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