WASHINGTON — American cruise ships that have been stuck in port for more than a year could be “sailing by midsummer,” provided they can meet safety guidelines by then, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Friday afternoon.
That assurance is unlikely to satisfy a $55.5 billion industry that believes it has been unfairly maligned in the course of the coronavirus pandemic. Florida is suing the federal government to allow ships to immediately set sail from the state’s ports, signaling that the issue could emerge as a political challenge for the Biden administration, much as reopening schools has.
Buttigieg was at the White House to sell the administration’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan,