$50 Million Wasted Annually on Unused Trump Border Wall Materials: GOP Outraged Over DOD Inaction

The Biden administration is currently spending a staggering $130,000 per day to store and maintain unused border wall panels at the southern border, according to a new Fox News report.

Senate Republicans are demanding answers, and rightfully so.

This wasteful expenditure is a clear indication that the Biden administration would rather pay to avoid building the wall than to protect Americans from cartels and other threats.

From a conservative perspective, this is an unacceptable waste of taxpayer money and resources that should be used to bolster national security.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is paying private landowners to store border wall materials procured under the Trump Administration, rather than utilizing them to fortify the southern border.

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Behind me is the border wall built by the state of Texas.

Border states should take matters in their own hands when the federal government (the Biden Administration) leaves them behind. pic.twitter.com/r0JQ7fLV3l

— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) March 13, 2023

Over 20,000 border wall sections, otherwise known as bollard panels, lie unused at 20 project sites across southern Arizona and New Mexico.

Since the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs was sworn in, the DoD has paid over $47 million to store these panels. As the senators put it, “the Department of Defense should not be incurring these daily charges but should be using these funds to bolster national security.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) confirmed that the cancelation of the border wall contracts by President Biden’s administration in 2021 left a variety of excess materials, with storage, maintenance, and security costs estimated at approximately $130,000 per day.

These materials, worth around $300 million, are being disposed of or transferred to other government agencies in accordance with federal excess material disposal laws and regulations. However, only 4% of the bollard panel materials have been transferred so far.

The senators urged the DoD to pursue all possible avenues to sponsor or endorse the reuse of excess Department of Defense property, including further transfer to states.

The remaining unused bollard panel materials should be disposed of by the Defense Department, a required government process for the department that works in coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to reutilize, resale, or demilitarize military property.

The disposal of all unused border security materials, as required in the government’s process to close contracts, has delayed the closure of multiple border construction contracts, according to the USACE.

Texas rightfully seals its borders. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Katie Hobbs has taken down the border wall in order to help drug smugglers and sex traffickers.

Thousands of people will die from Katie Hobbs’ open border policies.https://t.co/Tpkib2SpYr

— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) March 14, 2023

This further underscores the inefficiency and wastefulness of the Biden administration’s approach to border security.

Over 1.7 million encounters of migrants at the border were recorded in FY 21, and more than 2.3 million in FY 22. So far in FY 2023, which began in October, there have been over a million encounters.

This highlights the urgent need for effective border security, which is being undermined by the current administration’s preference for paying to store unused materials rather than implementing practical solutions.

In conclusion, the Biden administration’s decision to spend millions of dollars on storing unused border wall materials is a clear example of government waste and a misallocation of resources.

It is essential for the administration to prioritize the safety and security of American citizens by making use of these materials and implementing effective border security measures.

The wasteful storage costs must be addressed, and the focus should be shifted toward securing the southern border, protecting Americans, and promoting national security.