Author: Robin Ficker for U.S. Senate

DICKERSON, MD, April 15, 2024 – Reports say that former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ignored multiple safety warnings in order to bring megaships into the Baltimore Harbor.

Insurance giant Allianz and the International Transport Forum warned Hogan that megaships brought great risk and little economic benefit. Regardless, Hogan plowed forward and pledged that allowing megaships would “reduce the occurrences of crashes, fatalities and injuries among transportation users.”

Now that one of those megaships has caused the catastrophic collapse of the Key Bridge and closure of the Port of Baltimore, Larry Hogan is calling for the taxpayer to foot the bill for bridge reconstruction.

In light of this information, U.S. Senate Candidate Robin Ficker issued the following statement:

“Larry Hogan and Joe Biden want the federal government and taxpayers to foot the bill for rebuilding the Key Bridge, instead of the parties responsible. As usual, Larry Hogan and Joe Biden want to subsidize big business and force the taxpayers to pay for their bad decision-making. I support the federal government fronting the money to get things moving quickly, but taxpayers should not ultimately be on the hook.

I am calling for Singaporean shipowner Grace Ocean Private Ltd., ship manager Synergy Marine, and their insurance providers to pay for the reconstruction of the bridge, for the Federal Government and the State of Maryland to hold them accountable to do so, and for Larry Hogan to take responsibility for his poor decisions that got us here.

Larry Hogan ignored safety and economic experts and brought megaships to our harbor, but now that one of these megaships has destroyed the Key Bridge and shuttered the Port, Hogan wants you to pay the bill. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the mistakes and failures made by Larry Hogan and the operators of the Dali megaship.

This is commonsense, and that is what you will get when you elect me, Robin Ficker, to the U.S. Senate.”

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