U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed concerns Friday about the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuilding project and has asked for a meeting with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

In a letter to Moore delivered Friday, Duffy raised concerns from the Trump administration over project costs, the overall proposed project budget and timeline, and the use of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in awarding contracts for the bridge rebuild project.

Duffy raises Key Bridge rebuild concerns

"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," Duffy wrote. "It is my role to guarantee that federally funded projects benefit the entire nation through every dollar spent."

"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," he said.

Duffy added that he was concerned about what he called "unconstitutional" DEI contracting practices. Specifically, Duffy pointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

In January, the Maryland Transportation Authority set a 31.5% participation goal for USDOT eligible disadvantaged businesses in its engineering consultant contract. To be considered a disadvantaged business under the DBE program, a business must be a small, for-profit company that is majority-owned and operated by people who are socially and financially disadvantaged.