Days after a massive cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Republican US senate candidate Larry Hogan called for the federal government to foot the bill for the bridge’s reconstruction. Hogan’s demand follows his efforts as Maryland’s governor to attract such outsize cargo vessels to Baltimore’s port in the first place — despite safety warnings from an insurance giant and transportation experts.

Regardless of those concerns, Hogan’s gubernatorial administration pledged that bringing ever-larger cargo ships to Baltimore would strengthen the economy — and even improve safety.

His administration’s major public-private partnership to attract such megaships promised that it “reduces the occurrences of crashes, fatalities and injuries among transportation users.”