Treasury Sec. Yellen Walks Back Biden’s Claim Taxpayers Will Fund Baltimore Bridge Repair: ‘Ultimately There Will Be Insurance Payments’

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen contradicted Joe Biden’s initial claim that the federal government will cover the costs of repairing the Francis Scott Key bridge, saying that private insurance will pay for it instead.

Biden on Tuesday declared that U.S. taxpayers will subsidize the repair of the Baltimore bridge that was destroyed after a Singaporean shipping barge rammed into its support beam late Monday night.

“It is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge. And I expect Congress to support my effort,” Biden said in a televised address.

“I’ve directed my team to move heaven and Earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible,” President Biden says on the bridge collapse.

“It is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge.” pic.twitter.com/9DoIru2AsG

— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 26, 2024

But Yellen corrected Biden’s claim Wednesday on MSNBC when asked to clarify if taxpayers will “be on the hook” for repairing the bridge.

“My expectation would be that ultimately there’ll be insurance payments in part to cover this,” she said after floating the possibility that funds earmarked from the 2021 infrastructure bill could also be used.

Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen walks back Biden’s declaration that taxpayers will cover the cost of a new Key Bridge in Baltimore:

“My expectation would be that ultimately there’ll be insurance payments.” pic.twitter.com/WjmmnxvoVw

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 27, 2024

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed Yellen’s statement, claiming the responsible party “will be held accountable.”

“There’s no question that if the investigation determines that any private party or parties are responsible, they will be held accountable,” he told Fox News.

FOX: Yesterday, Biden said “the federal government will pay for the entire cost of rebuilding. But if you find that somebody involved here was responsible, why not have them pay?”

BUTTIGIEG: “They will be held accountable.” pic.twitter.com/5KhHcNDzoR

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 27, 2024

This is just another example of Biden Cabinet officials swooping in to clean up the puppet president’s clumsy comments, such as when they had to correct his claim that the U.S. was seeking to oust Putin, or that he’d seen footage of beheaded Israeli children after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite the Israeli government admitting no such footage existed.

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