Biden cancels remainder of Trump border wall projects funded by Pentagon

The Pentagon canceled border wall projects that the Trump administration had funded with $10.5 billion it diverted from other federal departments on the basis that the southern border was experiencing a national emergency.

“Consistent with the President’s proclamation, the Department of Defense is proceeding with canceling all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions and functions, such as schools for military children, overseas military construction projects in partner nations, and the National Guard and Reserve equipment account,” said Jamal Brown, deputy spokesman at the Pentagon.

Brown said the military has already started rescinding the funding and is working with other agencies involved in the construction, including its Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection.

The Pentagon did not reveal how much money has not been spent but said the remaining amount will go toward previously planned construction projects and that they will start as soon as possible. A Washington Examiner analysis of projects funded by the Pentagon revealed most of it has been spent on projects completed before Jan. 20.

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"Today’s action reflects this administration’s continued commitment to defending our nation and supporting our service members and their families," Brown said.

The Trump administration completed 450 miles of slatted border fence in all four southern border states, though much of it replaced shorter fences or was secondary fencing that ran parallel with the main wall. On Jan. 20, President Joe Biden signed an executive order halting all border wall system construction projects on the 1,950-mile southern border.

The $4 billion in funding that Congress approved for the wall and $10.5 billion that former President Donald Trump diverted from other federal department budgets was for the physical wall but was also slotted for the installation of roads to replace dirt paths, lighting along the entire wall, and fiber-optic sensors underground.

Beyond the 450 miles of wall installed under Trump, more than 300 more were going up or about to be installed. The overseeing federal agency, CBP, told construction crews nationwide to suspend operations by Jan. 27.

Border wall construction projects took off in the 1990s, when then-President Bill Clinton approved congressional funding to hire more Border Patrol agents and install infrastructure on the border. A decade later, during the George W. Bush administration, Congress approved the Secure Fence Act, which funded more than 650 miles of barrier. Half of those 650 miles of barrier were short fences just tall enough to block vehicles from driving across rural parts of the border, whil... (Read more)

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