Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Highlights Oversight Concerns on FSK Bridge Rebuild to Gov. Moore
Growing cost estimates and unconstitutional DEI practices threaten project delivery
WASHINGTON, D.C -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today in a letter to Maryland Governor Wes Moore emphasized the Trump Administration’s commitment to oversight of all the federal dollars funding the replacement of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key (FSK) Bridge. In the letter, Secretary Duffy raised concerns over reports of escalating project costs and questioned the proposed budget and timeline. Secretary Duffy also called out the unconstitutional DEI contracting practices that prioritize race- and gender-based requirements ahead of project completion.
“It’s my job to ensure the American people’s tax dollars are spent properly and major projects are completed on time and on budget,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “DEI contracting practices and ballooning project costs are already threatening to delay this critical project. We will leverage our oversight authorities to ensure this vital bridge is rebuilt the right way.”
Read full letter HERE.
Letter Excerpts:
Sec. Duffy emphasizes federal oversight, urges Maryland to deliver the FSK Bridge efficiently.
“Congress granted the Secretary of Transportation important authorities to conduct critical oversight to ensure that Federal highway funds are properly managed, and I take this authority seriously. It is my role to guarantee that federally funded projects benefit the entire Nation through every dollar spent. When a State partners with DOT on major infrastructure projects like the FSK Bridge, it partners with the American people.”
“It is with this oversight role in mind that I would like to continue our discussion on how DOT can support MDOT in its delivery of critical infrastructure on time, on budget, and in compliance with the law.”
In the letter, Sec. Duffy questions Maryland’s $1.8B federally funded FSK Bridge estimate, budget, and timeline.
“...I am particularly interested in how the State of Maryland plans to achieve key delivery metrics for the FSK Bridge replacement project, including MDOT’s estimates of a $1.8 billion project cost and the 2028 expected completion date.”
Secretary Duffy raises concerns that Maryland’s FSK Bridge contracts are based on unconstitutional race- or sex-based factors.
“One additional area of specific concern relates to whether Maryland intends to award contracts for the FSK Bridge project in a manner that relies on the race or sex of contractors. Any reliance on race- or sex-conscious factors in contracting decisions could introduce significant legal vulnerabilities and inefficiencies in the management of the project...”
“...The DOT has determined that the race- and sex-based ‘presumptions’ of disadvantage in DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program are inconsistent with these principles, and it has asked a Federal district court to declare those presumptions unconstitutional...”
Sec. Duffy concludes,
“I trust our collaboration on the FSK Bridge and other infrastructure projects of vital importance to Maryland and to all Americans will ensure that we chart a path forward to achieve our shared goals, while ensuring compliance with the Constitution and Federal law in the fulfillment of all project requirements, addressing and resolving in a mutually beneficial manner all potential risks that could prevent timely, cost-effective, and efficient project delivery.”
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