Mitch McConnell says government will pay the 'lion's share' of the up to ... trends now
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the federal government will 'step up' and pay for the Baltimore bridge collapse, in yet another break from many in his party.
Experts estimate that rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which plunged into the Baltimore harbor last week after it was hit by a cargo ship, could cost up to $2 billion.
'In situations like that, whether it's a hurricane in Florida or an accident like this, the federal government will step up and do the lion's share of it,' McConnell told Louisville radio host Terry Meiners in an interview.
In the same interview, McConnell vowed to use the rest of his term to fight 'isolationists' within his party and push aid to Ukraine.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the federal government will 'step up' and pay for the Baltimore bridge collapse, in yet another break from many in his party
Experts estimate that rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which plunged into the Baltimore harbor last week after it was hit by a cargo ship, could cost up to $2 billion
'I'm particularly involved in actually fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party,' the Kentucky Republican said.
'The symbol of that lately is: are we going to help Ukraine or not? I've got this sort of on my mind for the next couple years as something I'm going to focus on.'
The Senate has already passed a foreign aid package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine, but that package remains stalled in the House.
McConnell called the current day, amid war between Russia and Ukraine, 'the most dangerous time for the free world since right [before] the Berlin Wall fell down.'
He said that Republicans' arguments for isolationism are 'easily refuted.'
'We're not losing any of our troops – the Ukrainians are the ones doing the fighting. If the Russians take Ukraine, some NATO country would be next and then we will be right in the middle of it.'
McConnell, 82, has led Republicans for 17 years. He announced in February that he would step down from his leadership role at the end of this congressional term, but insisted he would stay in the Senate until the end of his term in 2027.
Other Republicans are more hesitant of putting the federal taxpayer on the hook for the costly bridge rebuild.
'I'm willing to take a look at that but there should also be some resources privately — that should be an option as well,' Ways and Means Committee Republican Adrian Smith, Neb., told reporters.
'Let's not just jump to the conclusion of that it has to be a federal answer.'
Meanwhile Rep. Dan Meuser, a Republican from neighboring state Pennsylvania, said last week it was 'outrageous' for President Biden to say he intends for the federal government to pick up the costs to rebuild the structure.
'It was kind of outrageous immediately for Biden to express in this
