The Defense Department revealed Tuesday that it has greater than 20,000 unused border wall panels in storage that it's attempting to get rid of after President Biden halted wall development.

The Army Corps of Engineers pays $160,000 a month simply to retailer the panels, Col. Jason Jefferis informed the House Homeland Security Committee.

He mentioned that's along with fiber optic cables, lighting and different supplies that have been imagined to be a part of the wall system and which, just like the panels, have been orphaned by Mr. Biden’s directive.

He mentioned the supplies are sitting with contractors and officers are attempting to determine what to do with all of it.

“The government validates that inventory and then reviews it to determine whether it is reusable or must be thrown to scrap,” Col. Jefferis mentioned.

Neither he nor an appearing deputy govt assistant commissioner at Customs and Border Protection have been capable of say simply how a lot materials the federal government has misplaced to scrap because of the development halt.

The $160,000 a month covers storage of 20,822 wall panels.

That’s a giant enchancment over two years in the past, when there was much more materials and the Defense Department figured it might value $130,000 a day to retailer all of it.

The wall was probably the most seen of President Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign guarantees.

During his tenure, greater than 450 miles of panels have been erected, most of it upgrading outdated or deteriorated fencing constructed throughout the Bush and Obama years.

But the Trump workforce skimped on the remainder of the wall system — the lights, sensors and roadways — to satisfy the president’s wall development objectives. The Government Accountability Office mentioned lower than 69 miles, or about 15% of the development below Mr. Trump, have been absolutely accomplished.

Mr. Biden, throughout the 2020 marketing campaign, mentioned he wouldn’t enable one other foot of wall to be constructed, and whereas he’s needed to eat these phrases, he has typically blocked the Trump plans to construct some 200 extra miles of limitations.

House Republicans have included language to restart wall development of their proposed spending invoice for fiscal 2024, which begins Oct. 1.

Democrats throughout Tuesday’s listening to complained concerning the GOP’s deal with a wall.

“It seems a bit antiquated at this stage, given where we are with respect to technology,” mentioned Rep. Yvette Clark, New York Democrat.

“And besides, I thought Mexico was supposed to pay for it,” she added, citing then-President Trump’s unfulfilled vow to make America’s southern neighbor pony up for the price.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com