Govplanet, the government’s surplus auction company, is poised to return up to $350 million worth of unused construction materials from the incomplete border wall initiated by President Trump. This arrangement comes as part of a recent agreement with the U.S. government.
Initially, Govplanet had planned to sell materials including steel panels and bollards after President Biden halted construction on certain parts of the wall in 2021.
Currently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), specifically U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is in talks with Govplanet regarding the return of these materials. A source from DHS informed News Nation that a deal has been reached, although specifics were not disclosed.
Interestingly, reports indicate that last week, Govplanet and DHS established a contract with third-party contractors to oversee the materials for a period of 90 days.
As of Thursday, responses from both the White House and DHS concerning these agreements remained unanswered.
In a recent press interaction, President Trump commented on the situation, mentioning that Govplanet is working diligently on the matter. He expressed intentions to “recover the wall,” referring to efforts to bring the construction back.
Trump lamented that “they stole a wall from us,” emphasizing the high cost of these construction materials. He accused the current administration of selling the materials for far less than their worth.
The former president stated, “This is expensive… Biden sold it for pennies on the dollar, three cents, four cents.” He directly attributed the issue to Biden, claiming the administration had essentially “sold the wall.”
However, a federal judge in Texas ruled in January that the Biden administration could not sell off materials designated for the wall, restricting the allocation of funds for different purposes.
Following this ruling, Govplanet removed these materials from its website and announced its agreement with the government last week.
In its communication with the media, Govplanet affirmed its commitment to return the construction materials at cost to safeguard taxpayer dollars.
The surplus materials will reportedly be auctioned off before being returned to the U.S. government.
Governor Gonzalez (R-Texas) highlighted the necessity for a wall along the border, asserting that it is essential for securing the area. Recently covered by News Nation, new high-tech surveillance towers are also being deployed to assist patrol agents in monitoring migrant crossings.
“We need walls, we need technology,” Gonzalez stated, underscoring the effectiveness of the new surveillance methods in remote locations. He further stressed the importance of having enough Border Patrol agents and collaboration among local law enforcement.
Once these unused materials are accounted for, work on the border wall is scheduled to resume in various areas of Texas and California. Reports indicate that a total of $46.5 billion is allocated for the completion of the border wall under Trump’s funding proposal.
Parts of Arizona’s border are also on the agenda, particularly as the Pentagon has recently redirected $200 million from other projects to establish a 30-foot border barrier in this region, which has seen significant cartel activity.
