BALTIMORE, Md. — President Biden has been on a years-long victory lap in Baltimore ever since he got his signature infrastructure legislation passed. It meant more money for projects like the Frederick Douglass Tunnel, which would see the replacement of the Civil War-era B&P tunnel in West Baltimore, and paved the way for the resurrection of old projects like the Red Line, a light-rail system that would connect east to west in Baltimore City.
“My predecessor promised infrastructure week, every week, for four years—but he never built a damn thing,” President Biden said just last week at an event at the Port of Baltimore.
But those big plans all come with big price tags. With President-elect Trump’s desire to rein in government spending and a likely Republican majority in both chambers of Congress, are these projects on the chopping block?
We asked Congressman Kweisi Mfume, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 7th district, and Congressman Andy Harris, a Republican representing Maryland’s 1st district.
“Well, the honest answer is nobody really knows,” Mfume told WMAR-2 News. “He’s [Trump’s] not made any indication as to what he wants. I can tell you, federal projects that are not disaster-related, probably are more vulnerable than others.”
“I think they’re gonna look everywhere in the federal budget to see where it’s possible to decrease federal spending in order to avoid more inflation,” Harris said. “That’s [The Frederick Douglass Tunnel’s] a project that the state might be asked to take up more of the load of that. That, the Red Line, all these projects where the tendency has been to always look to the federal government for funding—look, the fact of the matter is, we have a $1.9 trillion federal deficit, a $36 trillion federal debt; that well is not bottomless.”
The Red Line was already facing an uphill battle to secure funding. The state’s transportation department is pretty strapped for cash, with the announcement of budget cuts in September, so that project would rely heavily on federal assistance.
But President Biden pledged more than $4 billion dollars for the tunnel replacement project, and Amtrak awarded two contracts. Construction is expected to start soon.
“I would hope that projects where the contracts have been [awarded] already, that those projects would continue to be funded, but projects like the Red Line, where no contracts have been awarded, the bottom line is that those projects are in much greater jeopardy,” Harris said.
“In a normal world with normal occurrences, I would say you don’t put money out and then walk away from it once a commitment like this has been made and there are contracts that are binding that are out,” Mfume said. “However, we’re in a world of uncertainty right now until this new administration indicates what’s important to them and what’s not. In the meantime, myself and others are gonna be fighting like hell to make the case that these things that have started, they ought to be completed. One of the things we ought never to have again is a federal project like the Highway to Nowhere, which has crippled all of West Baltimore in a way that has been unimaginable for over 40 years now. That’s a lesson to be learned.”
The most expensive item on Maryland’s wish list and the biggest priority for Congressman Mfume is a new Key Bridge.
Republicans have been much more reluctant to agree to sign off on 100% federal funding for the nearly $2 billion rebuild. Democrats are still hopeful, but Mfume says they’re trying to get legislation passedbefore the new majority takes over in January.
“That has a very good chance of succeeding, simply because there are districts all over this country where there are natural disasters, whether they’re hurricanes or floods, or collapses of infrastructure, those members of Congress want those things taken care of. So it’s gonna be easier to find bipartisan consensus on all of that.”
Yet Harris says the need to help with other disasters is exactly why the government might not be able to afford to pick up the entire tab.
“I think the Key Bridge rebuild, that money will become available eventually. I’m not sure all of it’s gonna be available now. We’re now competing with several states for disaster funding. I think the state should decide pretty quickly exactly what it needs for the next fiscal year and maybe just ask for that. Obviously that bridge is not gonna be built next summer, so all the money isn’t necessary now,” Harris told WMAR-2 News. “There are tens if not a hundred billion dollars of disaster assistance that’s gonna be necessary nationwide, and there’s only a limited number of dollars in Washington.”
The Maryland Transportation Authority declined to comment for this story.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D- MD 08) sent WMAR-2 News this statement:
“Regardless of who is in the White House, Team Maryland fights tooth and nail to deliver for our state—be that for the Chesapeake Bay, the FBI Headquarters, the Red Line, or the many other projects that we’re working on.
Our nation has also seen unprecedented levels of disaster over the past several months—ranging from the collapse of the Key Bridge to Hurricane Helene—so it’s clear that replenishing funds for disaster response simply can’t wait until next year. I’m committed to working alongside Senator Cardin and our House colleagues to authorize the remaining 10% in federal funding to assist Maryland as we move forward with replacing the Key Bridge.”