Pittsburgh Mayor Asked About Biden from Site of Bridge Collapse: ‘Glad to Have the President Coming Today’
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey was asked about President Joe Biden’s visit to his city to discuss infrastructure — scheduled just hours after a bridge collapse that Gainey was standing in front of.
Gainey briefed reporters Friday morning from the site of a bridge collapse whose cause is not yet known, and which thankfully did not result in fatalities as yet, according to Gainey.
One reporter asked Mayor Gainey about the president’s visit to speak about infrastructure, and to call for additional investments.
“This bridge collapse happened on the day that the president is headed here to talk about infrastructure,” the reporter said, and asked “What does that say about some of the improvements that need to be done?”
Without hesitation, Gainey said “We need it.”
He continued:
You know, I said it before, this bipartisan infrastructure law is critical to southwest Pennsylvania and the city of Pittsburgh, but we know we have bridges that we need to take care of.
We’re finding out now when the last inspection was and everything. But with him coming today to talk about this infrastructure bill, to discuss what is and what is funding is so important today is significant that, you know, at the end of the day, we could have had some serious injuries…
So at the end of the day, this is critical that we get this funding, and we’re glad to have the president coming today.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says Biden has been briefed on the collapse ,and that the president will still be making the trip.
@POTUS is grateful to the first responders who rushed to assist the drivers who were on the bridge at the time. The President will proceed with trip planned for today and will stay in touch with officials on the ground about additional assistance we can provide.
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) January 28, 2022
In a statement sent to Mediaite Thursday night, before the collapse, a White House official said “Tomorrow, President Biden will travel to Pittsburgh, PA – the Steel City, and the site of the first event of his campaign in 2019 – to speak to the American people about his vision to rebuild America’s economy for the 21st century.”
In addition to calling for additional legislation, the official said that “the President will talk about how his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is already strengthening in our supply chains and critical infrastructure – our roads, bridges, ports, airports, and more – giving us an edge in producing more in America and exporting it to the world.”
Watch above via The White House.
