Mast Believes Taxpayers Should Not Foot the Bill of Collapsed Maryland Bridge Cleanup Effort

Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) released a video critiquing the idea that federal taxpayer funds should be used to clean up the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge – according to Rep. Mast – was not built with federal funds and was controlled by the State of Maryland.

Therefore, cleanup and possible restoration efforts should not be funded with federal tax dollars, says Rep. Mast.

“This was a private bridge. Let’s all remember that this was a private bridge that was owned and operated by the federal government, the federal highway system. It was not the federal government and the Treasury and the U.S. taxpayer that was getting the tolls and the toll dollars that were coming from that bridge. Yet the response and cleanup is being federalized. And we might want to ask, why is that taking place?” said Mast.

He continued, “We also should know what the value is of all the steel, all the metal from the bridge. To give a small and minor example we all know that if we have a cooler or part of an air conditioner or something like that, you put it out in front of your home, there’s going to be scrap metal people that will come there and take that away for free because there’s a value to that scrap metal. There are massive scrap metal companies that in my opinion, would come in and clean up the scrap of that bridge not only for free, not only would they come in and do it for free, but they would pay back the taxpayer for all the value of all that scrap metal just like they would do if somebody at a smaller scale was coming to your home to do it.”

The Florida congressman went on to mention that this idea of outsourcing the cleanup away from the federal government to those who would benefit and profit from taking the materials is not new.

“There are companies that buy decommissioned airplanes just to strip them for scrap metal. There are companies that buy decommissioned aircraft carriers to strip them for scrap metal. There’s nothing new about this concept. So, we have to ask the question, why is that not taking place right here?”

Mast then called for additional congressional hearings in hopes of speaking with the company whose workers struck the bridge and other companies associated with the bridge’s collapse, such as insurance companies.

Mast represents Florida’s 21^st District.