{"id":2032499,"date":"2023-09-14T20:46:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T00:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-investigate-biden-admin-for-selling-off-parts-of-trumps-border-wall\/"},"modified":"2023-09-14T20:49:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T00:49:12","slug":"house-republicans-investigate-biden-admin-for-selling-off-parts-of-trumps-border-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-investigate-biden-admin-for-selling-off-parts-of-trumps-border-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"House Republicans are probing the Biden administration&#8217;s sale of sections of the Trump border wall."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-republicans-investigate-biden-admin-for-selling-off-parts-of-trumps-border-wall%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2032499&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Republicans Investigate \u2062Biden \u200bAdministration&#8217;s \u2062Sale of Border Wall Materials<\/h2>\n<p>Republicans on\u2063 the \u2064House Oversight Committee are investigating reports that the Biden Administration is selling \u200doff materials\u200b procured to build President Donald Trump&#8217;s signature \u200cborder \u2063wall.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General Scott Spellmon (<a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/USACE-Doc-Request-on-Border-Barrier-System-Sell-Off.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>), the GOP lawmakers requested documents and\u200b information\u2062 that will facilitate House oversight over the Biden administration&#8217;s \u2062actions in \u2064selling\u2064 vital border wall components.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe\u2063 Biden Administration\u2019s decision to sell already purchased border\u2064 materials is\u200c waste\u2063 and abuse of taxpayer dollars,&#8221; Oversight Committee chairman James\u2063 Comer (R-Ky.) said\u2062 in a \u200dstatement on Sept. 13.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<ul class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<li class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/san-diego-supervisors-continue-emergency-on-u-s-mexico-border-sewage-issue-5491857\">San Diego Supervisors\u2064 Continue Emergency on U.S.-Mexico \u2062Border Sewage Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/san-diego-supervisors-continue-emergency-on-u-s-mexico-border-sewage-issue-5491857\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<li class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/rep-jordan-decries-dhs-secretary-mayorkass-unresponsiveness-to-border-security-questions-5491647\">Rep. Jordan\u200b Decries\u2062 DHS Secretary Mayorkas&#8217;s\u200b Unresponsiveness to Border Security Questions<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/rep-jordan-decries-dhs-secretary-mayorkass-unresponsiveness-to-border-security-questions-5491647\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The Epoch Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/biden-admin-quietly-auctioning-off-parts-of-trumps-border-wall-5476961\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported earlier<\/a> that the Biden administration was\u200c quietly \u200bauctioning \u200doff millions of dollars\u2064 worth of border wall materials amid\u200b President Biden&#8217;s pledge not to build &#8220;another foot&#8221; of President \u2064Trump&#8217;s signature\u2063 project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The United\u200d States is facing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-first-100-days-promote-big-government\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s first 100 days promote Big Government\">worst border crisis<\/a> in our history due to the Biden Administration\u2019s policies,&#8221; Mr. Comer continued. &#8220;We\u200b should be using tools already at our \u2064disposal to stop the surge of illegal border crossings.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A Border \u200cPatrol agent gestures as \u2063illegal immigrants prepare to board a bus to a U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing into Arizona \u2062from Mexico\u2063 in Yuma, Ariz., on May \u200d11, 2023. (Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Over 183,000 \u2063people were apprehended by agents along the U.S.-Mexico border \u200cin\u2064 July, according \u200bto the latest \u200bdata from Customs and Border Protection \u2064(CBP), with the numbers representing a 33 percent increase over the past month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Republicans \u200dhave\u200c blamed \u200cthe Biden administration&#8217;s policies for \u200cfailing to secure the southern border and for encouraging a tidal wave of illegal immigration.<\/p>\n<h2>Not &#8216;Another \u200bFoot&#8217; of Border Wall<\/h2>\n<p>In contrast to his successor, President\u2064 Trump was\u2062 vocal about his \u200ddetermination to plug the\u2064 gaps in the porous southern border and stem the flow of illegal immigration into the \u200ccountry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>As part of these efforts, President Trump erected more than 450 \u200bmiles of new wall during his administration and, faced with funding\u2063 hurdles, he even notably diverted some Pentagon \u200cfunds to the project.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Government contractors erect\u2063 a\u200b section\u200d of \u200cthe \u2062Pentagon-funded\u2064 border wall along the \u2062Colorado River, in Yuma, Ariz., on Sept. 10, \u200d2019. (AP Photo\/Matt York, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But \u200bon the day that President Biden took office, he\u00a0issued \u200da proclamation that rescinded the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/homeland-security-authorizes-tsa-to-enforce-joe-biden-mask-mandate\/\" title=\"Homeland Security Authorizes TSA to Enforce Joe Biden Mask Mandate\">national emergency declaration<\/a> that President Trump had relied on to divert some $10 billion from Pentagon coffers to border wall construction.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Building a massive wall that \u200dspans\u200d the\u200d entire southern border is not a serious policy \u2064solution,&#8221; President Biden \u200dsaid in\u200c the proclamation, while calling the Trump border\u200b wall a &#8220;waste of money.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A Department of Defense \u2064(DoD) spokesperson told \u2064The Epoch Times \u2064in an emailed statement that,\u200d following President Biden&#8217;s \u200corder, \u200bthe\u200d DoD canceled border wall construction contracts and \u2062began disposing of\u200b unused material, some\u2063 via \u2064auction.<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson \u2064insisted, however, that\u00a0the \u2063DoD has kept \u2064Congress\u2062 informed of these actions as a part of its\u200d routine briefings\u2062 to lawmakers on border activities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The spokesperson added that the U.S. Army remains in possession of around 21,000 finished bollard panels fabricated and acquired using DoD appropriations, and that these are \u200bpending final disposition.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;False Political\u200d Rhetoric&#8217;:\u2064 GOP<\/h2>\n<p>In\u200d their letter to Lt. General\u00a0Spellmon, Mr. Comer and other \u2064Republican lawmakers alleged &#8220;waste\u2064 and abuse of\u200b construction materials&#8221; and requested \u200dthe DoD to provide all documents and communications relating \u2064to inventory\u2064 or accounting of components procured by the federal government for the purposes of \u200cbuilding the wall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;On the day\u2063 he was \u200dinaugurated, President Biden signed\u2064 a\u2063 proclamation halting the construction of the \u200bborder\u2064 wall,\u200c calling it &#8216;a\u200b waste of money that diverts attention\u200b from \u2064genuine threats \u2062to\u200c our homeland security,,&#8221; the\u200b letter\u200b reads, before calling President Biden&#8217;s remarks &#8220;patently false political \u200brhetoric.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The letter\u200c cited a Department of Homeland Security press release from Oct. \u200d29, 2020 indicating that the border wall resulted in a\u2062 significant decrease in illegal drug, border crossings, and human smuggling activities in areas where it was erected.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Dismissing border barriers as \u2062a diversion \u2064from real threats reveals \u2062how\u200c shortsighted President Biden&#8217;s policy decisions have been from day one, especially \u200das the number of individuals illegally crossing the border with derogatory \u2062information related to \u2062terrorism has \u2064skyrocketed since\u2062 President Biden took office, with \u2063over 146 such encounters so far&#8221; this fiscal year, the\u200b Republican lawmakers wrote in the letter.<\/p>\n<p>According\u200c to CBP figures, a\u200d total of \u2064149 immigrants \u200cidentified as known terrorists, suspected terrorists, or associates of both were arrested after trying\u200b to enter the United States illegally. Of these, 146 were \u200capprehended at the southern border \u2063(a record high)\u2062 and three \u2062at\u200d the northern border.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The Republicans said that the\u2063 decision of \u2064the Biden \u200dadministration to\u200d discontinue construction of the border wall and dispose of its components\u2062 is a grave mistake that \u2064makes\u2064 the border less secure and\u200b threatens national security.<\/p>\n<h2>Selling the Border \u2063Wall<\/h2>\n<p>The\u2064 DoD spokesperson told The Epoch\u200c Times that, since October 2021,\u00a0the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which manages\u200d excess property disposal for the \u2064DoD, has been\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-investigate-biden-admin-for-selling-off-parts-of-trumps-border-wall\/\" title=\"House Republicans are probing the Biden administration's sale of sections of the Trump border wall.\">offering excess \u200braw construction materials\u2014including cameras<\/a>, electronic \u2063cables, and steel tubes\u2014to \u2063potential\u2062 users \u2064in the DoD, \u200cother\u2062 federal agencies, as\u2062 well as state and local governments through its standard process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The\u2062 spokesperson\u2063 added that, beginning in March \u20622022, the DLA began allowing unclaimed border\u2063 wall materials to be auctioned off.<\/p>\n<p>Around 21,000 finished bollard panels that were bought via \u200cDoD\u2063 appropriations \u200cfor the border wall remain\u200b in possession of the U.S.\u200b Army.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, a DLA spokesperson confirmed to Power Corridor\u00a0that a number of items up for auction on GovPlanet, an online auction marketplace, are &#8220;excess border wall materials\u2064 that \u2063the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned over to the DLA for\u200b disposition&#8221; and that \u200cthese items are \u2064now &#8220;for sale.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The auction site makes no mention of the\u2062 origin of\u200b the materials, listing \u200cthem generically\u2062 as &#8220;steel\u2064 tubing \u2064and sticks for \u2064industrial construction,&#8221; with some identified as \u200b&#8221;square\u2062 structural tubes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Part \u200dof a border wall between the\u2062 United States and Mexico in a file \u200cphoto.\u2063 (John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Since April, the online\u200c auctioneer has sold more than 80 lots of steel &#8220;square structural\u2063 tubes,&#8221; which were meant for use\u2062 as vertical elements \u2064in the border wall&#8217;s panels, with 13 \u2064additional lots going under \u200dthe hammer on\u200d Aug. 23 and Aug. 30, according to GovPlanet.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Finish \u2064the Wall&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Republicans, who have been\u200b deeply critical of President Biden on border security, introduced legislation \u200din May that would force the Pentagon to allow millions of \u2064dollars\u200b worth of unused border \u200bwall components to\u2064 be used to extend the wall along the southern border.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Called the Finish It Act, the legislation would require the federal \u2062government\u2064 to either deploy \u200dthe materials or transfer them to states, which would then use them to construct\u200c the wall.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The \u2063legislative proposal \u2064(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wicker.senate.gov\/services\/files\/72982BAF-6C33-4ADC-AD43-774937A1BE60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>) came after \u200ban \u2063investigation by the Armed\u2062 Services Committee \u2062found that the\u2063 Pentagon was spending $47\u200d million per \u2063year to store the wall panels and other elements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cPresident Biden could not have created a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/where-is-aoc-sen-lindsey-graham-calls-out-aoc-being-mia-on-biden-border-crisis\/\" title=\"\u2018Where Is AOC?\u2019: Sen. Lindsey Graham Calls Out AOC Being MIA On Biden Border Crisis\u00a0\">worse border crisis<\/a> if he tried, but\u2064 he continues to\u200b stand in the\u2062 way of a solution,\u201d Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.),\u2063 the bill\u2019s \u200csponsor, said \u2064in\u2064 a \u200bstatement in May.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Senate Republicans revealed earlier this year, his Administration is forcing the Department of Defense \u2063to spend millions of \u200cdollars\u200b a year to\u200d let border panels go unused when they could\u2062 be used to secure our border.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is time for the President to\u00a0put these materials to use and\u2064 finish the wall.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Amid more\u200d recent \u200creports that \u2064the\u2063 Biden administration\u200b was selling off border wall components rather\u200b than allowing them to be used to build \u2064more wall, Mr. Wicker called the development\u00a0\u201coutrageous, behind-the-scenes maneuvering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis sale\u200c is a wasteful\u200c and ludicrous\u200b decision\u200b by the Biden administration that only serves as \u200cfurther proof they have no shame,\u201d he\u00a0told The\u2063 New York Post.<\/p>\n<p>Lt. Col. Devin T.\u2062 Robinson \u2064told \u200bthe NY \u2064Post\u200b that the\u00a0U.S. Army Corps of \u2063Engineers has disposed of \u2062roughly $154 million worth of border wall materials out of a total stockpile worth about $260 \u200bmillion.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200d How \u200dare Republicans responding to the Biden\u200c administration&#8217;s decision to stop \u2064building\u200d the border wall and sell off its materials?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ect sections of the border \u200dwall\u200c along the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2019. (Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite his strong stance on border security, President Trump faced opposition from Democrats who viewed the wall as ineffective and unnecessary. Now, with President Biden in office, \u2062the fate of the border wall has taken \u2062a \u2064different turn.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration has\u200c made it \u2062clear\u200d that they do \u2062not \u200cplan to continue building the border wall and have even started selling off materials that were previously purchased for its construction. This decision has raised concerns among Republicans, who argue that it is a waste of taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter to\u2064 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General Scott Spellmon, GOP lawmakers on the \u2062House Oversight Committee requested documents and information regarding\u200c the sale of border wall components.\u200c They aim to exercise their oversight responsibilities and ensure accountability for the administration&#8217;s actions.<\/p>\n<p>James Comer, chairman\u200b of\u2062 the\u200b Oversight Committee, issued a statement criticizing the Biden administration&#8217;s decision. He called it a waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars\u2063 and highlighted the urgency to address the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-lawmakers-condemn-biden-admin-over-border-crisis\/\" title=\"GOP lawmakers condemn Biden admin. over border crisis\">ongoing border crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Reports from\u2063 The Epoch Times revealed that the Biden administration has been quietly auctioning off millions of\u200d dollars\u2063 worth of border wall materials. \u200cThis contradicts President Biden&#8217;s earlier pledge not to build &#8220;another foot&#8221; of Trump&#8217;s signature project.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the situation at the border continues to worsen. \u2063Custom and\u200c Border Protection \u200c(CBP) data shows a significant increase in the number of apprehensions along\u2063 the \u200dU.S.-Mexico border. In July alone, over 183,000 \u2063individuals were apprehended, representing a 33 percent increase compared to the previous month.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have blamed the Biden administration&#8217;s policies for the escalating border crisis and the \u2064surge \u200cin illegal immigration. They \u2064argue that the sale of border wall materials only adds to the \u2063administration&#8217;s failure to secure the southern border.<\/p>\n<p>During his presidency, President \u2062Trump took a \u200cdifferent approach\u2062 to border security. He \u200bemphasized the need for stronger \u200dborder protection and constructed over 450 miles of \u200cnew wall. Despite facing obstacles\u200c in securing funding, President Trump even redirected Pentagon \u2064funds to support the wall&#8217;s \u2062construction.<\/p>\n<p>The differing approaches to border security between the Trump and Biden administrations highlight the\u2064 deep divide between Republicans and\u200c Democrats on \u200dthe issue. While<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are probing allegations of the Biden Administration selling materials acquired for constructing President Trump&#8217;s border wall. They have written to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General Scott Spellmon, seeking documents to aid House oversight of the current administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":2032500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2032499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2032500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}