Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman issued the following statement on the continued recovery efforts after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on March 26:

 

“Yesterday was a tragic day for our entire state. The horrific and unimaginable collapse of one of our state’s most iconic structures, responsible for carrying 30,000 cars a day through our region, has left all of us reeling and mourning. It has also changed the lives forever of six Maryland families who lost loved ones while doing work on behalf of our state. I grieve with them and will continue to support them in any way we can.

 

“I visited the site yesterday with Governor Wes Moore, Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as well as many other state and federal officials. It was overwhelming to see the incredible coordination and dedicated response from our fire, police, and rescue teams who mobilized so quickly to do challenging and dangerous work to attempt to locate the six missing workers. On behalf of our entire Agency, I am so grateful for the men and women who jumped in to coordinate this initial response and are still there, doing important work. I am grateful to our State Police and all first responders who are continuing with the recovery effort today to attempt to bring closure to grieving families.

 

“I am grateful to Governor Moore for his decisive leadership in navigating this catastrophic event and for issuing an Executive Order that is making all possible resources available to navigate this incident and its impacts. I commend the thorough efforts and transparency of the Maryland Department of Transportation in its accounting of the events leading up to the collapse, and I look forward to learning more as we assess the incident and to reviewing the findings by the National Transportation Safety Board when its investigation is complete.

 

“We are so fortunate that President Joe Biden understands the importance of this bridge and channel for moving goods, and his team repeatedly yesterday assured the state that the federal government would be there to provide support and rebuild the Key Bridge. My agency and I remain ready to work in partnership with our state, local, and federal partners to assist those impacted by this tragedy, including small businesses, tens of thousands of workers, and others connected to and reliant upon the Port of Baltimore, which handled more than 50 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion in 2023.

 

“The General Assembly is now considering legislation to help workers displaced by this tragedy and I fully support those efforts. Our State’s economy and thousands of families depend on a fully functioning Port of Baltimore and we must work expeditiously with our federal partners to clear the channel and reopen the Port. We are working to ensure any businesses or families affected by this tragedy have the help they need from our revenue administration division as well.

 

“Maryland is strong and resilient. We will not forget the individuals who lost their lives in this incident, and we will honor their memory in the rebuilding process.

 

“And rebuild, we will. I look forward to working as a united state government, building a new bridge, upgrading our Port facilities, and ensuring that we have the best transportation system and most productive Port in the nation.”