During a visit to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site on Friday, President Biden pledged federal support for the recovery effort while offering his condolences to the families of six workers killed when a container ship collided with the bridge last week.

Biden vowed to "move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible" and said that those responsible for the bridge collapse would be held accountable "to the fullest extent the law will allow." He also took the opportunity to call on Congress to pass funding to rebuild the bridge and reiterated that the federal government would fully foot the bill. 

 
“To all our military members and first responders and most importantly, the people of Maryland. I'm here to say your nation has your back, and I mean it — your nation has your back,” Biden said, amid the backdrop of the collapsed bridge. “The damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking. Eight, eight construction workers went into the water when the bridge fell, six lost their lives. Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders —hard-working strong and selfless.”