US House panel to hold hearing on Baltimore bridge collapse

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is set to hold a hearing on the federal response to the recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, according to a Thursday press release from the committee.

“Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure [Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.)] announced that the full Committee will hold a hearing with federal agency witnesses to discuss the ongoing investigation into the allision of the Motor Vessel DALI with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland and the federal response to the incident,” the press release reads.

The hearing will occur next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. and will feature witnesses including National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Shailen Bhatt, according to the release. 

Earlier this week, the sixth and last missing body of the construction workers killed in the Baltimore bridge collapse was found. Salvage divers found 37-year-old José Mynor López’s body Tuesday at the bridge collapse’s scene, according to Unified Command officials.

“With heavy hearts, today marks a significant milestone in our recovery efforts and providing closure to the loved ones of the six workers who lost their lives in this tragic event,” Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement.

Shortly after the bridge collapse, President Biden vowed to “move heaven and Earth” to rebuild the bridge.

“Folks, we’re going to move heaven and Earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible,” Biden said. “And we’re going to do so with union labor and American steel.”