Texas leaders, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, are speaking out after President-elect Donald Trump called on President Joe Biden to stop the sale of unused border wall.
Trump said during a news conference on Monday, Dec. 16, while in office, his administration ordered an additional 200 miles of wall, which was “very expensive and now it’s about double the price that it would have been six years ago.” The materials were intended for projects along the U.S.-Mexico border and recently appeared for sale on GovPlanet, a government surplus auction marketplace.
The website allows users to search for items by state and country, including Texas, which currently has various construction and industrial materials for sale ranging from $40 to thousands of dollars. It’s unclear on the site what material was intended to build the border wall.
“The (Biden) Administration is trying to sell it for five cents on the dollar, knowing that we’re getting ready to put it up, and what they’re doing is almost a criminal act,” Trump said.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted on X on Dec. 13 that he spoke to Gov. Greg Abbott about the sale of the border wall and that Abbott had requested the Texas Facilities Commission look into what material was being sold.
“The Texas Facilities Commission told us today that the material for sale was mostly junk, with most panels covered in concrete and rust. There were a few panels that might be usable but not worth the cost of shipping to Texas from Arizona,” Patrick posted.
Patrick posted about the material again on Monday, Dec. 16, along with a clip of him being interviewed on Fox News about the matter.
“The Biden admin is auctioning off unused border wall materials for pennies on the dollar—treating our national security as if it’s a yard sale. This isn’t just a fight against the incoming president—it’s a fight against the American people,” he wrote.
Why are the materials being sold?
Section 2890 of the National Defense Authorization Act, introduced by Republican lawmakers in the House, requires the Department of Defense to develop a plan to use, transfer or donate all “covered materials” purchased for border barrier construction between fiscal years 2017 and 2022.
The law mandated that the Department of Defense submit a plan “to use, transfer, or donate to States on the southern border of the United States all covered materials” within 75 days of the National Defense Authorization Act’s enactment and begin executing it 100 days later.
The process continued “until the date on which the Department of Defense is no longer incurring any costs to maintain, store, or protect the covered materials.” This led to the eventual sale of a portion of these materials through GovPlanet, a government surplus marketplace.
After fulfilling requests from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and eligible border states, transferring nearly 60% of the materials, the Department of Defense sold the remaining 40% through a competitive sales contract.
USA Today contributed to this report.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at [email protected], @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
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