Rep. Andy Harris is stuck between his storied fiscal hawk bona fides and a giant collapsed bridge that’s been clogging up the Baltimore harbor.
The Maryland lawmaker may be best known as a miserly appropriator who’s derailed hearings with bombasts on Republican culture war issues. But
His role highlights several congressional dynamics: the inherent locality of politics, the popularity of disaster relief, and — some say — the reality of hardline fiscal positions that work better in theory than in practice.
“We don’t agree on many things, but on things that are important to Maryland, we agree more than we disagree,” Harris said in an interview at his Capitol Hill office. Harris downplayed the rarity of his working with Maryland Democrats.
Estimates to replace the Baltimore bridge put the price tag around $2 billion, an effort likely to take years. Officials announced that the channel fully reopened this week, which would help stunt losses at a port that contributes an estimated $15 million to the economy each day while supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
Baltimore Bridge Fix to Cost at Least $2 Billion, Officials Say
“We have unanimous sentiment on the Maryland delegation,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said. “He’s the only Republican, so if you don’t have Andy, you don’t have bipartisanship.”
Democrats hope the fiscal hawk can help bring fellow conservatives on board. “We’ll see what his colleagues think of him,” Hoyer quipped.
Curbing GOP ‘Heartburn’
Harris’ reputation is not one of a bridge builder.
The Lugar Center and Georgetown University bipartisanship index placed Harris at 407th in terms of work across the aisle, above just 29 of his colleagues. Like many on the hard right, Harris has consistently opposed emergency aid packages.
Then on March 26, the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali lost power and collided into the bridge, killing six workers on the span and bringing a halt to both highway and marine traffic at the Port of Baltimore that rely on the channel. Payouts for the collapse could be among the largest in marine insurance history.
Maryland’s delegation, including Harris, was quick to propose legislation (
Still, finding a way to move the bill will be tricky with limited floor time for the rest of this election year. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who also called Harris helpful, said he doesn’t see a partisan division on the bridge – but says the “challenge is to find a vehicle” for the legislation.
There’s also the issue of ensuring enough fiscal conservative votes for the rebuilding as the cost estimates roll in.
Baltimore Bridge Rebuild Money Faces Emergency Fund Shortfall
“If they look at me and they’re like ‘ok, if Harris, who is a fiscal conservative, thinks that there is very little risk to the federal taxpayer on this, then that actually convinces me that there is very little risk to the federal taxpayer on this,’” Harris said in an interview with Bloomberg Government.
State leaders have also pledged to pursue liability reimbursement from the shipping company. Harris called that move a requirement for him that he thinks will help sway other conservatives. The House Freedom Caucus calls for fully offsetting spending bills.
Harris said it makes sense to wait until bids come back so that lawmakers aren’t “writing a blank check.” He suggested some of his most hard-right conservatives might never favor the spending, but added their votes may not be necessary.
“I can do the math, I’m not sure you need the Freedom Caucus to move this to the floor,” Harris said.
And Harris is still Harris. He’s already laying out conservative conditions there shouldn’t be any labor stipulations attached to funding the rebuild, and he’s criticizing efforts from some civil rights groups to rename the new bridge, as Francis Scott Key enslaved multiple people.
“If there’s insistence or the suggestion that it’s going to be renamed, that might cause some heartburn among some of my Republican colleagues, as I think it should,” Harris said.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member, sidestepped criticizing Harris when asked about his calling for bridge funding. Norman called Harris “one of our most conservative members,” while adding that his own preference would be for full offsets and the state to ante up funding.
All Politics Is Local
Political scientists said it’s natural for lawmakers, regardless of their hardline reputations, to support funding an essential project in and around their districts.
The House Freedom Caucus opposes spending in theory, North Central College professor Suzanne Chod noted, but the real-life impact can’t be ignored.
“That’s all fine and well until people might be out of jobs. There’s gonna be backups in the port. People can’t get where they need to go,” Chod said.
The bridge collapse has made strange bedfellows out of Harris and Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) – uniting the Republican and Democrat in a bipartisan tour to promote funding, including through a joint editorial and press appearances. Harris conceded there are many issues that he and Moore aren’t going to agree on, but this isn’t one of them.
Bridge Collapse Draws Federal Funding, Investigator Needs
Maryland is expected to continue to face lingering impacts from the collapse, including lost business and challenging commutes, said Mary Kane, president and CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, pointing to a recent survey from the group. She said some commutes that used to take 15 minutes are now two hours.
“We’re afraid we’ll see people move away because the traffic situation will get so bad, and we’re already at a loss for workers here,” Kane said. “There’s a big focus on rebuilding in Baltimore, and the traffic situation can really hamper that effort.”
Apart from congestion, the fallout could hit state coffers and broader economic activity. Tolls revenues from millions of vehicle crossings over the bridge contributed $56.8 million to Maryland in fiscal 2023, more than 8% of the transit authority’s toll total. The port supports nearly 150,000 jobs, and the bridge collapse was estimated by the DOT to immediately impact $2 million in wages per day.
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Risks Maryland’s Well-Funded Reserves
Harris, who represents the part of Baltimore County that is about 15 miles from the bridge, said he has port workers in his district, and pointed to the traffic congestion caused by the collapse as a big concern.
Moore — who said Harris has been “a tremendous partner” on this issue — told Bloomberg Government that the Republican congressman has been helpful both in gaining the needed support and in “how we think about the coalition that’s going to be necessary.”
“I’ve been incredibly encouraged by the level of support and bipartisan support that we’ve received,” Moore said in an interview. “When people saw the tragedy of the FSK bridge collapse, they realized that this is not going to have an impact on Democratic districts or Republican districts. It wasn’t going to have an impact on Democratic supply chains or Republican supply chains. This is going to have an impact on all of us.”
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