that remembered us on march 29 and fellow veterans. i would also like -- for those who are in military office, peace officers, nurses, thank them for their service. for those who have seen combat, please welcome us home. l we wanted to do was come home. thank you. host: that is tom in california. we have a guest coming up next that will encourage people, per trip lee veterans to enter the applicable process -- particular veterans to enter e what would ? caller: there are people that are active. us people that are veterans and new longer in active duty, a lot -- pres. biden: good afternoon.

before i leave for north carolina i want to speak about the terrible incident that happened in baltimore. ship struck the francis scott -- struck the francis scott key bridge which i've been over many times. the bridge collapsed, sending several people and vehicle into the water. all of the u.s. coast guard units which are stationed near why, thank god, remain deployed. the coast guard is leading the response to the port were representatives from the federal highway administration, the fbi, the army corps of engineers, as well as maryland officials and baltimore police and fire are working together to coordinate an emergency response. scene estimate eight people unaccounted for. that number might change. two have been rescued.

one without injury and wanted critical condition. rescue operations continue for all of those remaining as we i spoke with governor wes moore as well as the mayor of and the county executive and both united states senators and the congressman. my secretary of transportation is on the scene. i told them we will send all of the federal resources we need as we respond to thisall of the fe. we will rebuild that port together. everything so far indicates this was a terrible aenwe have no oto believe there was any intentional act. personnel on board the ship were able to alert the maryland department of transportation that they lost control of their vessel. as a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge ts struck, which undoubtedly saved lives. our prayers are with everyone involved in these terrible

y for the families waiting for news of their loved one right now. i know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime. it is terrible. we are grateful for the brave rescuers who rushed to the scene and to the people of baltimore. we want to say we will stay with you as long as it takes. like the governor said, you are maryland tough, yoar strong, anl get through this together. here is what is happening now. the search and rescue operation is our top priority. ship traffic in the port of baltimore has been suspended until further notice and we will need to clear that channel before the ship trwxfic ca■zn resume. the army corps of engineers is on the spot and will help lead this effort to clear the channel. thee nation's largest shipping hubs. i've been there a number of times as a senator and vice president. it handles a record amount of cargo last year it is also the

top port in america for imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks. ,000 vehicles go through that port every year and we will get it up and running again as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend on that port and will do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers. the bridge is also critical for travel, not just corridor. over 30,000 vehicles cross the bridge on a daily basis. it is one of the most important elements for the economy in the northeast and the quality of life. now. as i told governor wes moore i've directed my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible. we will work hand in hand to support maryland in whatever they ask for. we work with our partners in

congress to make sure the state gets the support it needs. it is my intention the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge. i expect congress to support my effort. this will take some time. the people of baltimore can count on us to stick with them every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt. we are not leaving until this job is done. we are not leaving until then. i want to say god bless everybody, everyone harmed this morning and their fies, and may god bless the first responders who are risking their lives. the reason i will not take a lot are remaining issues that are open that we have to determine what will happen in terms of the rescue mission. >> you intend to go to baltimore and how quickly? pres. biden: i do as quickly as i can. >> he said the federal government will pay for the

repair. this is the ship that was at fault. pres. biden: we are not going to wait for that toapn.we are goint the bridge open. >> what did you make of the decision not to attend the meeting this week? pres. biden: we have plenty of time to talk about that. >> thank you, everyone. >> will have more on the baltimore bridge collapse in just a few moments. national transportation safety board share will hold a briefing with an update on the situation. it is expected at 1:00 eastern. we will have live coverage on c-span.presidential candidate r. kenny,r. plans to name his running mate today. he