Posted on July 28, 2021
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit the Port of Baltimore on Thursday to tout the benefits of President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal.
“Secretary Buttigieg is scheduled to take a tour, meet with port officials and workers, and deliver remarks,” the U.S. Department of Transportation said in a news release Tuesday.
The federal transportation department said details on the timing and location of the secretary’s visit are forthcoming. A spokesman for the Port of Baltimore did not immediately have details on the plans.
The state-owned port needs more than $250 million in asset modernization, Maryland Transportation Secretary Greg Slater said during the Greater Baltimore Committee’s virtual Transportation and Infrastructure Summit Monday.
It’s part of a more than $7 billion maintenance backlog across the port and the state’s highways, transit, airports and other transportation systems, Slater said. Those needs would be first in line for any federal funding Maryland receives from the deal, he said.
“We need to make those investments so the port is going to be there for the future,” he said. “Our whole system needs that investment.”
Buttigieg’s plan to tour the port was announced amid intense negotiations among senators and the White House on Tuesday to salvage the deal, with pressure mounting on all sides to wrap up talks and show progress on Biden’s top priority.
The talks over the $1 trillion investment in the nation’s railroads, roads, bridges, ports, pipes and broadband internet have hit roadblocks over how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure.
Another sticking point has been whether new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers.
Republicans and Democrats are also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it.
Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the deal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, told senators Tuesday that they should be prepared to work through the weekend to finish the bill.
Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin told business leaders on the GBC summit Monday that he remained optimistic about the deal, but he would “revise my optimism” if an agreement could not be reached by the end of the week.
Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, plans to welcome Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to Baltimore, according to his spokesman.
“The mayor has a good relationship with Secretary Buttigieg and is aware of the upcoming trip,” said Cal Harris, communications director. “Mayor Scott supports the Port of Baltimore and looks forward to welcoming the secretary and former mayor to Charm City.”
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan will also be on hand to greet Buttigieg, a former Democratic presidential candidate who endorsed Biden after dropping out of the primary.
“The governor spoke to Secretary Buttigieg earlier [Tuesday] about the ongoing infrastructure negotiations in Washington, and looks forward to welcoming him to the Port on Thursday,” said Mike Ricci, a spokesman for Hogan.
