Biden wants taxpayers to pay for obliterated bridge — but a House Republican has better ideas



Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) doesn't believe taxpayers should finance the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

After a massive cargo ship obliterated the bridge, President Joe Biden promised to "move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible."

His plan? To force taxpayers to fund the project.

"It's my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort," Biden explained on Tuesday.

But Meuser thinks the government must explore other options instead of rushing to spend more taxpayer money.

"It was kind of outrageous immediately for Biden to express in this tragedy the idea that he’s going to use federal funds to pay for it in the entirety," he said Thursday on Fox Business. "You know, he doesn’t refer to it as the American taxpayers' dollars on anything. You know, the first reaction, in fact the only reaction, tends to be to spend."

He added, "We just can't take the easy route all of the time and just spend the taxpayers' money."

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Instead, Meuser suggested three alternative ways to pay for the rebuilding project.

First, Meuser said Singapore, where the company that owns the ship is located, could play a role in helping finance the project. Second, he pointed to insurance companies, something Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has also suggested. Third, he said that money from Biden's massive infrastructure bill that isn't being used can be reappropriated to pay for the project.

The exact cost of the rebuilding project is not yet known. It is expected to cost several billion dollars.

Still, it would not be totally unprecedented for taxpayers to foot the bill.

After the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed on August 1, 2007, Congress unanimously approved a bill allotting $250 million in emergency money to rebuild the bridge. Then-President George W. Bush signed that bill on August 6, 2007.

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9 House Republicans are running for House speaker



As the House speakership selection saga drags on due to the collapse of GOP Rep. Jim Jordan's bid last week, a whopping nine Republican lawmakers have jumped into the race.

The Republicans who have announced speakership bids include Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Byron Donalds of Florida, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, Gary Palmer of Alabama, Austin Scott of Georgia, and Pete Sessions of Texas. Scott ran unsuccessfully against Jordan for the GOP speakership nomination earlier this month.

The House GOP is slated to vote for a new speaker nominee on Tuesday, reports indicate.

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Republicans hold the majority in the House chamber, but have failed tap a new speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the role earlier this month. It took McCarthy 15 rounds of voting to win the speakership back in January, but earlier this month, eight Republicans voted with Democrats to boot him from the post.

Jordan, who had been backed by former President Donald Trump, came up short in three House votes last week, unable to cobble together enough support to reach the threshold necessary to secure the speakership. Democrats voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in all three rounds of balloting.

GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who had been backing Jordan, has now thrown his support behind Donalds.

"While I still believe Jim would have been a strong choice for Speaker, Republicans will now coalesce around another strong leader. I believe that candidate is my friend from Florida, Byron Donalds," Roy said in a statement. "Byron is a strong communicator backed by a conservative voting record who has simultaneously played a central role in bringing together members from across the Republican conference to advance conservative priorities."

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Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York responded to the news of Byron Donalds' speakership bid by tweeting, "Donalds has only served 1 full term in the House. His most recent work involved submitting falsified evidence in an impeachment investigation. These people are not serious."

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