- Ted, welcome back.

We just heard Steph Machado ask Senator Jack Reed if he plans to run for reelection.

That sounds like a yes to me, what do you think?

- Yeah, I'm certainly expecting Reed to run again in 2026, Michelle.

With the caveat that we just had two surprise retirements in the congressional delegation.

First, Jim Langevin, then David Cicilline.

So you never rule anything out.

But you know, Reed, I mean, you know, I think as you heard in Steph's interview, he's still very engaged in the job, his health seems to be good.

He loves the job.

And of course, maybe most importantly for him, he has no political concerns because he is consistently ranked in the polls as the most popular politician in Rhode Island.

- Reed has been a longstanding fixture, as you mentioned, in Rhode Island politics.

He's been a member of the state's congressional delegation since 1991, and if he does win reelection in two years, he's on track to tie Senator Claiborne Pell as the longest serving senator from Rhode Island.

- Yeah, there has been remarkable stability in the Senate seat that Reed currently holds.

Since 1937, Michelle, only three people, all Democrats, have held this seat.

First, T.F.

Green, namesake of the airport, then Claiborne Pell, and now Jack Reed.

So, you know, once you have a Senate seat in Rhode Island, you are very likely to hold it as long as you want to, barring some major catastrophe.

- What do you think has driven his political durability?

- Well, I think there's a bunch of different factors.

Obviously, first and foremost, he's a Democrat in a Democratic state.

That's the foundation of it all.

But then I think specific to Reed, I think his military service has always been a part of his biography that even appeals to some voters who maybe aren't party line Democratic voters.

He's certainly a workhorse.

He's not showy, I think he would admit that he's not the most exciting, bombastic speaker on the stump.

I also think you can't underestimate the work that Reed and his staff put into making sure he's very present.

You know, every weekend, I think, that he's in Rhode Island and not in DC.

He's got, you know, ribbon cuttings here and there, he is in parades, he's doing this, he's doing that.

And the other thing I'd point to, Michelle, is, Reed serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

His office makes sure that every dime of federal money that reaches Rhode Island, there was some reminder out there that Senator Reed got that money, Senator Reed is on Appropriations.

They don't let us forget.

- Know where the money came from.

- Exactly.

- Yeah, let's turn now to the Washington Bridge.

There were new estimates released recently talking about how much it's going to cost not only to demolish the bridge, but ultimately, to replace it.

The bottom line is, it's going to cost a lot more than state officials initially projected.

They say the higher estimate includes construction incentives and also a change in scope, like the on and off ramps and making the bridge wider.

But how did they not foresee that?

- Well, I think a lot of people are asking that question.

And in fairness to state officials, they were pretty clear when they put out that initial estimate that this project would cost $250 or 300 million.

This was a very back of the envelope estimate.

I remember asking, can I see sort of the worksheet that led to that?

And they said there wasn't one.

So, they didn't have a lot behind that.

And now we have much harder numbers, and they say they're being conservative.

They're estimating that the demolition of the old bridge will cost $40 million.

Rebuilding the new bridge will cost $368 million.

And an emergency cost tied to the closure of the westbound bridge, they think are going to total $46 million.

That's things like the police details and the 24/7 tow trucks and all of that.

So that's approaching, just total all up, a half billion dollars for a situation that wasn't even on any of our radar screens six months ago.

- When you look at Governor McKee's financing plan, the bulk of this money will come from federal money.

State officials plan to apply for a $221 million grant called the Mega Grant, which essentially funds large transportation projects.

They hope to know by October if they'll get this money.

What do you think?

- Well, this goes back to Senator Reed, right?

I think they are really banking on him in particular, again, because of that seat on the Appropriations Committee, as well as his seniority, that he can work some magic, especially with the Democratic presidential administration, at least for the balance of the year.

I do think, you know, state officials have to be realistic about how likely it is they get the full amount they want for this Mega Grant.

Late last year, Massachusetts asked for one for the Cape Cod bridges, a much larger project, they only got 300-something million.

So, I think that's why you see this contingency planning McKee has there with, you know, plans to borrow up to $334 million against future federal highway funding, borrowing $40 million against the gas tax, and then moving other money around.

- And we're starting to hear some skepticism around that, including from House speaker Joe Shekarchi, who has a big say, of course, in the financing and how money is appropriated at the State House.

- There are a lot of questions about this, right?

You know, if you move all this money into the Washington Bridge project, what other bridge projects have to be delayed or transportation projects?

What does it do to the overall DOT budget?

So, I think those questions are going to be raised a lot in the coming weeks as the budget process wraps up.

And I think what we learn in those hearings is going to be interesting.

- Something has to give at the end of the day.

- Money, there's only so much money to go around.

- Yeah.

Thanks so much, Ted.

- Good to be here.