Trump asks Biden to 'stop selling' unused parts of border wall
WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump called on President Joe Biden to "stop selling the wall," saying Monday it is "almost a criminal act" to auction off unused portions of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump, speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago Florida residence, was referencing a report by the conservative-leaning Daily Wire that features video footage of trucks leaving with wall pieces and remarks from an anonymous border patrol agent discussing the removal and sale of wall materials taken from three spots in Arizona.
"I'm asking today, Joe Biden, to please stop selling the wall," Trump said.
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The White House did not respond directly to Trump's comments.
But a Biden administration official, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity, disputed the characterization. The official told USA TODAY the disposal of unused wall materials followed a mandate in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024, which Biden signed into law last December requiring the Defense Department to create a plan to "use, transfer, or donate" the materials.
The official said U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement used the materials it requested for barrier projects, while other materials went to the governments of Texas and California at the states' request. Products sold through auction were the materials left over after this process, the official said.
About 500 miles of border barriers along the southern border were constructed during Trump's presidency, and the former and future GOP president has promised to finish the wall as part of his promised migration crackdown in his second term.
"It's very expensive, and now it's about double the price of what it would have been six years ago," Trump said on Monday. "And the (Biden) administration is trying to sell it for five cents on the dollar ? knowing that we're getting ready to put it up. And what they're doing is really an act ? it's almost a criminal act."
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The Daily Wire reported that steel and other pieces from the wall are headed to Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona, to be actioned through GovPlanet, a surplus government equipment auction marketplace. "The goal is to move all of it off the border before Christmas," the unnamed border agent is quoted saying in the Daily Wire story.
A Defense Department official said all four Southwest border states were offered the materials, but only two accepted. About 40% of the unused border materials were sold to GovPlanet for auction, the official said, which was deemed more cost effective than paying for storage.
"The material currently being sold through GOVPLANET online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DoD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns," the official said.
Trump said he has spoken to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton about seeking a possible restraining order and referenced conversations on the subject with Texas' Republican U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.
"They know we're going to use it," Trump said of the Biden administration. "And if we don't have it, we're going to have to rebuild it, and it'll cost double what it cost years ago, and that's hundreds of millions of dollars because you're talking about a lot of a lot of wall."
Trump said it's been "a friendly transition" between the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump team ? but not in this regard.
"Just think about how ridiculous it is," Trump said. "And this is just people who don't want this country to succeed."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump asks Biden to 'stop selling' unused parts of border wall