President-elect Donald Trump has called on President Joe Biden to halt the sale of unused border wall components originally intended for projects along the U.S.-Mexico border. The materials, including steel bollards, recently appeared for sale on GovPlanet, a government surplus auction marketplace.
During a news conference Monday, Trump expressed frustration with the Biden administration over the auctions, which involved materials left in southern Arizona after Biden paused wall construction early in his presidency.
“I’m asking today, Joe Biden, to please stop selling the wall,” Trump said, emphasizing the cost of the materials. He accused Biden of increasing expenses by selling the components just as his administration prepares to resume construction.
“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 5 cents on the dollar, knowing that we’re getting ready.”
The auction listings have ignited debate online, with many questioning why the materials were sold when Trump campaigned to finish the wall.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., told The Daily Wire, which first reported the auctions, that the Biden administration was “purposefully hamstringing” the incoming Trump presidency.
Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also criticized the sales, calling them a “last-ditch effort to keep America’s borders open by selling off materials the Trump administration will use to finish the wall.”
So why are the materials for the construction of more border fence being moved now?
The answer is in the National Defense Authorization Act, a law passed by Congress in the 2024 fiscal year.
Section 2890 of the National Defense Authorization Act, introduced by Republican lawmakers in the House, requires the Department of Defense to develop a plan to use, transfer or donate all “covered materials” purchased for border barrier construction between fiscal years 2017 and 2022.
The law mandated that the Department of Defense submit a plan “to use, transfer, or donate to States on the southern border of the United States all covered materials” within 75 days of the National Defense Authorization Act’s enactment and begin executing it 100 days later.
The process continued “until the date on which the Department of Defense is no longer incurring any costs to maintain, store, or protect the covered materials.” This led to the eventual sale of a portion of these materials through GovPlanet, a government surplus marketplace.
After fulfilling requests from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and eligible border states, transferring nearly 60% of the materials, the Department of Defense sold the remaining 40% through a competitive sales contract.
“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 Department of Defense told The Arizona Republic in a written statement.
Among those taking note of the auctions is Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who posted on X that the Texas Facilities Commission reviewed the panels listed for sale.
According to Patrick, the commission concluded that the materials up for auction were “mostly junk, with most panels covered in concrete and rust.” He noted that a few usable panels were “not worth the cost of shipping to Texas from Arizona.”
Still, Patrick emphasized the state’s willingness to assist the incoming administration if some panels meet their standards. “Make no mistake,” Patrick wrote, “Texas will make every effort, do whatever it takes, to assist the president, and we’re going to secure this border once and for all for the people of America and Texas.”
Because the materials have been sold, the Department of Defense can no longer direct their final use. Any future decisions about the materials rest entirely with their new owners, whether private buyers or states willing to pay the cost of transportation and refurbishment.
Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.
