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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took to X on Wednesday, claiming President Joe Biden was trying to public sale off supplies meant for development of a border wall “for pennies on the dollar in secret.”
Some members of Congress made related claims on social media and in interviews that the Biden administration was promoting items of usable materials to stifle wall-building efforts only a month earlier than President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace. Trump additionally weighed in, calling the public sale an “almost a criminal act” throughout a press convention Monday.
“I’m asking today, Joe Biden, to please stop selling the wall,” Trump stated.
The sale, nonetheless, was ordered final 12 months by Congress, and Texas had already obtained materials from the federal authorities — and bought extra earlier this 12 months.
Right here’s what it’s best to know concerning the controversy:
What’s being bought and why?
The Trump administration invested $15 billion in border wall development, shopping for materials with the intent of developing lots of of miles of boundaries throughout the southwest border. Many of the development changed or up to date already-existing boundaries, and right this moment 140 miles of barrier — principally constructed earlier than the Trump administration — traces the Texas-Mexico border.
Trump estimated in his press convention Monday that about 200 miles’ value of fabric was nonetheless unused after he left workplace and Biden halted most wall development (some wall development continued underneath Biden).
The plan for the unused materials was determined in 2023, when Congress handed the annual Nationwide Protection Authorization Act and Republican lawmakers added a piece directing federal officers to submit a plan to Congress on eliminate extra border wall materials.
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The Division of Protection submitted its plan in March, permitting the switch of fabric to U.S. Customs and Border Safety and states, with a desire for southwest border tasks. Congress required that any supplies obtained by states be used to keep up present border boundaries.
CBP, Texas and California obtained greater than 60% of the fabric by means of a “reutilization, transfer, and donation process,” in accordance with the Division of Homeland Safety.
Patrick stated in a Fox Information interview Thursday that Texas additionally purchased $12 million value of fabric throughout a summer time public sale, sufficient to construct about 4 miles of border wall.
How did wall supplies find yourself being auctioned?
The remaining 40% was bought in June to authorities and army surplus firm GovPlanet, which moved the supplies to Arizona in December and listed them for public sale on its web site — a few of it with beginning bids of $5. GovPlanet had beforehand auctioned off different border wall materials in late 2023.
Federal officers requested that GovPlanet take away them from public sale after a Day by day Wire article documented the supplies being transferred to Arizona and known as the transfer “an apparent effort to hinder President-elect Donald Trump’s effort to secure the border.” That prompted lawmakers like U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to name the transfer “sabotage” in social media posts referencing the article.
Within the Fox Information interview, Patrick framed the public sale as a last-ditch try by Biden to hinder future wall development by discarding usable supplies, calling it a “Great Biden Christmas border wall heist.”
How are Texas officers attempting to dam the public sale?
Trump stated Monday that he spoke with Texas Legal professional Common Ken Paxton about blocking the auctions. A day later, Paxton filed a movement alongside Texas Land Commissioner Daybreak Buckingham in a preexisting case, claiming the sale to GovPlanet violates a everlasting injunction {that a} federal decide accepted in Might.
That injunction prevents the Biden administration from redirecting cash meant for wall development for different functions — nevertheless it doesn’t point out wall supplies. Paxton and Buckingham’s movement argues that as a result of the supplies have been bought with the restricted funds, promoting them to GovPlanet violates the injunction.
“If border wall materials … were sold to third parties, it is as if DHS took the congressional appropriation and gave the funds to a third party — contrary to this Court’s command that those funds be used solely for the ‘construction of physical barriers,’” the movement states.
The movement additionally requests that the federal authorities present the manufacture date and unique funding supply for every of the wall supplies bought to GovPlanet.
Will Texas purchase extra of the wall materials?
In a Dec. 13 publish, Patrick stated the supplies on the public sale block weren’t value salvaging.
“The Texas Facilities Commission told us today that the material for sale was mostly junk, with most panels covered in concrete and rust,” Patrick posted. “There were a few panels that might be usable but not worth the cost of shipping to Texas from Arizona.”
However on Wednesday, Patrick claimed that the public sale lot contained usable wall panels that have been “not clearly seen before.”
Patrick stated Texas can be prepared to purchase any usable wall panels in the event that they grow to be accessible.
He stated GovPlanet assured Texas officers that the state can be the primary notified when wall supplies are put up for public sale once more.
Patrick additionally stated that if the state bought extra wall supplies, it might donate them to the federal authorities after Trump takes workplace on Jan. 20.
