The recent demands by the House Freedom Caucus have brought a sharp focus on the intertwined nature of infrastructure funding and energy policy in the United States. As the federal government debates how to address the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, the conservative group has unequivocally said its support for rebuilding the bridge will only come after a significant shift in the Biden administration’s energy policies — particularly concerning natural gas exports.
The caucus is leveraging its influence inside the razor-thin GOP majority. Their demands include lifting bans on natural gas export terminals — a move they argue is critical for both domestic energy production and foreign trade. These calls come as Joe Biden continues to recklessly provide assurances to cover the bridge’s reconstruction costs. He said last week, “It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.”
House Freedom Caucus lays out demands for considering Baltimore bridge funding https://t.co/zZogHCwKbo pic.twitter.com/FpRzPJTEI3
— The Hill (@thehill) April 5, 2024
The caucus issued a statement demanding that Congress withhold appropriations for the bridge project until the White House begins approving liquified natural gas export terminals. It added that the loss of the gas exports is having “severe implications for foreign trade,” just as the closure of the Baltimore harbor is.
In addition to demanding that domestic energy production be allowed to flourish, the group is also calling for the relaxation of oppressive environmental regulations that are certain to cause the Baltimore bridge project to experience unneeded cost and delay. The caucus also calls for any funding for the bridge project to be offset by cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.
The group’s position challenges the Biden administration’s approach to infrastructure funding and highlights a strategic pivot in conservative policymaking. Connecting infrastructure spending with energy policy reform is a way to be responsive to American consumers who do not put the same priority on climate activism as unelected bureaucrats in Washington.
The Freedom Caucus should stand firm in its demands as a means to leverage meaningful concessions from the anti-energy White House. By tying bridge funding to lifting natural gas export bans, the caucus highlights the importance of energy independence and economic strength — values that have been under direct attack during the Biden administration.
