Defense Department Spends $130,000 A Day On Unused Border Wall Materials: Report

According to reports, the Department of Defense (DoD), spends approximately $130,000 per day on border wall materials that are still in storage.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers informed the Senate Armed Services Committee about the cancellation of border wall contracts by Biden administration in 2021 “left a variety of excess materials” And the “total costs to store, maintain, and secure all the materials across all sites is estimated to be approximately $130,000 per day,” Fox News.

“Some of these materials, to include security cameras, overhead lights, and electrical and stormwater materials are being disposed of in accordance with federal excess material disposal laws and regulations,” The USACE was also added. “Overall, 61% of non-bollard panel materials, and 4% of bollard panel materials have been transferred to other government agencies or disposed of through the DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] disposition process. The total value of these materials is estimated at approximately $300 million. However, the cost to the government cannot be finalized until audits are completed and negotiations with contractors are concluded.”

Trump’s 2016 campaign priorities included building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Trump’s administration spent about $15 billion on the construction of 458 miles of the barrier during his four years of office.

President Joe Biden signed the proclamation on his first day of office “pause” The construction project.

Roger Wicker, a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (R-MS), wrote this week to a DoD official informing him that they were members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “are disturbed to learn the Department of Defense is paying private landowners to store border wall materials procured under the Trump Administration instead of fortifying the southern border with those materials.”

Sen. Republican of America (GOP) urged DoD officials to “pursue all possible avenues to sponsor or endorse the reuse of excess Department of Defense property, including further transfer to states.” Melissa Dalton (assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs), was also questioned by the Republicans. Dalton asked for information about the contracts that were used to store and maintain the unused materials at the border, which they estimate cost over $47million in the last year.

“The Department of Defense should not be incurring these daily charges but should be using these funds to bolster national security,” The GOP senators wrote.

The Daily Wire reached out for comment to the Pentagon.

Biden is often criticized by Republicans for not doing more at the U.S.-Mexico frontier to prevent illegal crossings and the flow of drugs like fentanyl. Border authorities encountered more than 2 million aliens in fiscal year 2022, according to federal data, a significant increase over the prior year.

Raul Ortiz of the Border Patrol testified before the House that the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t have operational control of southern border. This is contrary to a statement by Alejandro Mayorkas (DHS Secretary).

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