As the fight for Amazon’s second headquarters rages, government officials are pulling out all the stops to convince the online marketplace to choose their city.
Maryland’s Transportation Secretary, Pete Rahn, said Tuesday that he would give Amazon (AMZN) a “blank check” to cover any transportation improvements it might want should it choose Maryland for HQ2.
Read: Amazon Has Narrowed Its List of HQ2 Candidates to These 20 Sites
According to The Washington Post, Rahn said that the amount could be more or less than the $2 billion earmarked for unspecified transportation upgrades that the state has already committed as part of its wider $5 billion pitch.
“We’ll provide whatever is necessary to Amazon when they need it,” Rahn said. “For all practical purposes, it’s a blank check.”
Read: Steve Case: A Memo to the Cities Amazon Passed Over
However, the state doesn’t currently have budget for such a commitment, with Rahn admitting that he doesn’t “know how we’d do it.”
The White Flint area of North Bethesda in Maryland is one of 20 finalists. Amazon has not revealed when the shortlist will be announced.
