Fox's first appearance: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) says he's asking the Department of Defense's (DOD) Lloyd Lloyd, as the Biden administration continues to sell southern border wall material at lower prices ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's re-election. It demands that Secretary Austin commit to preserving all records. semester.
“I am writing to demand full accountability and transparency from the Department of Defense regarding its role in disposing of surplus border wall material from the first Trump administration,” the senator wrote in a letter to Austin on Monday. “Write.''
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Cotton requested that Austin preserve records of the sale. (Reuters)
He acknowledged President Biden's decision to “cease construction of the needed Southwest border wall,” but added that the Department of Defense's role in selling the materials was questionable.
FOX News' William La Jeunesse reported that sections of the wall are being sold “for scrap” for as little as “$1.
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The Biden administration is disposing of surplus border wall material as authorized by the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), according to Pentagon officials. The official said about 60% of these materials were turned over to authorized recipients such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas and California. They added that 40% was purchased by GOVPLANET, a marketplace that sells surplus government equipment and materials. The official said the border wall material available at the site is not currently owned by the government and the Pentagon does not have the authority to block its sale.
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Migrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Arizona, Dec. 7, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)
In a letter to Austin, Cotton told the secretary to provide written assurances that the department would “preserve all electronic and written materials related to the disposal of border wall materials.”
It also asked for a “full accounting” of how border wall materials were disposed of, as outlined in the NDAA.
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Finally, Cotton requested a list of each company to which it sold materials.
“Thankfully, the egregious waste of taxpayer money and flaunting urgent national security concerns will end on January 20, 2025, when President-elect Trump is inaugurated,” the Arkansas Republican said. “Congress will rely on the records it is required by law to preserve to fully understand the Biden Pentagon’s role in making our borders less secure.”
Border wall construction at Chilton Ranch is complete. (Adam Shaw/Fox News)
The Department of Defense did not immediately comment to Fox News Digital.
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At a press conference Monday, President Trump implored the Biden administration to halt its continued lame-duck efforts to sell border wall materials. “This is almost a criminal act,” the president-elect said.
“They know we're going to use it,” Trump explained, adding that it would cost more to get it back.
He predicted that rebuilding sections of the wall would cost “hundreds of millions of dollars more.”
