Mega Cranes and Dollars begin to arrive in Maryland.

From Marketplace, I'm Sabrie Ben ashore and for David Brancaccio.

A massive barge-mounted crane capable of lifting a thousand tons is among the equipment

descending on Baltimore's harbor as a monumental salvage operation begins following

the collapse of the Franciscockey Bridge. Federal relief funds are also starting to flow to Maryland.

Much more will be needed as Marketplace's Henry Epp reports.

The Transportation Department described the initial $ million dollars given to Maryland

yesterday as a down payment. The funding will help the state begin to remove and

demolish the fallen bridge, set up highway detours, and start to clear the

waterway to the Port of Baltimore. Recovery work

has slowed and dive operations have paused due to hazardous conditions

caused by the submerged wreckage and debris. The initial batch of recovery money

is from an emergency fund, but to cover the full cost of

cleanup and rebuilding, as President Joe Biden pledged the federal government would do, will

likely take congressional action, and lawmakers are currently in the middle of a two-week

break.

I'm Henry Apt for Marketplace.

On the 2030 U.S. Census, Arab Americans will have their own box to check for the first time ever.

And starting today, agencies across the federal government are being instructed to add a Middle

Eastern or North African option to race and ethnicity questions on all data collection forms.

Advocates have been pushing for this for decades.

And they say one outcome will be a clearer picture of economic conditions in Arab American communities.

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