Pentagon watchdog investigating $400M border wall contract
5 years ago

Pentagon watchdog investigating $400M border wall contract

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department’s internal watchdog is investigating a $400 million border wall contract awarded to a firm that used multiple appearances on Fox News to push for the job. The Pentagon’s inspector general sent a letter Thursday to House Homeland Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson telling him the contract awarded to North Dakota-based firm Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. would be audited. Two administration officials familiar with the matter told The Associated Press this year that Trump aggressively pushed the Fisher firm’s bid with the heads of Homeland Security and the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages wall contracts. Thompson had said one of his concerns was that officials from Homeland Security, the department managing border security, had toured a private barrier built by the company shortly before the contract was awarded.

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History of this topic

At half a mile a week, Abbott’s border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion
6 months ago

At half a mile a week, Abbott’s border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion

Raw Story  

"At half a mile a week, Gov. The state’s ability to secure land rights has also dictated the wall’s location, though officials say they have focused on areas pinpointed by the Department of Public Safety as the “highest priority.” TFC officials have declined to share exactly where the wall is being built, citing security concerns, though Novak recently said construction …

The destructive legacy of Trump’s border wall
3 years, 2 months ago

The destructive legacy of Trump’s border wall

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But like dozens of other places along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border, under the Trump administration this remote area on …

Biden's DHS head wants to prosecute MORE illegal immigrants
3 years, 9 months ago

Biden's DHS head wants to prosecute MORE illegal immigrants

Daily Mail  

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wants to criminally prosecute more illegal immigrants and crack down on sanctuary cities Joe Biden's Homeland Security head is looking to crack down on illegal immigration by taking more legal action against border jumpers and targeting U.S. cities that act as a safe haven for them. The new hard-line stance comes as record numbers of …

Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge
3 years, 11 months ago

Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge

Associated Press  

SAN DIEGO — In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as a symbol of international friendship. The Army Corps of Engineers, which has awarded wall contracts with Defense Department money, said Thursday that …

What is happening with US President Donald Trump's border wall, and what does president-elect Joe Biden intend to do?
3 years, 11 months ago

What is happening with US President Donald Trump's border wall, and what does president-elect Joe Biden intend to do?

ABC  

A centrepiece of US President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policy was the construction of a "big, beautiful wall" on the US-Mexico border — and the promise that Mexico would pay for it. During his 2020 State of the Union address, Mr Trump said "substantially more than 500 miles" of the wall would be complete by early 2021. "Mexico is going …

Biden’s pledge to halt border wall construction would save US $2.6bn, Pentagon estimates
4 years ago

Biden’s pledge to halt border wall construction would save US $2.6bn, Pentagon estimates

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy If Joe Biden follows through on his claim that he …

Trump officials tout progress on border wall before election
4 years, 2 months ago

Trump officials tout progress on border wall before election

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — Top Trump administration officials visited Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have nearly completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, trying to show progress on perhaps the president’s best-known campaign promise four years ago. Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, told reporters Wednesday that “we have a president campaigning on having successfully built a border …

Trump wrongly diverted billions to build wall: Appeals court
4 years, 6 months ago

Trump wrongly diverted billions to build wall: Appeals court

Al Jazeera  

The $2.5bn diverted from military construction was done without Congressional approval and unlawful, the court said. A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against the administration of United States President Donald Trump in its transfer of $2.5bn from military construction projects to build sections of the US border wall with Mexico, ruling it illegally sidestepped Congress, which gets to decide …

Trump campaigns on border wall progress. There’s not much of it
4 years, 6 months ago

Trump campaigns on border wall progress. There’s not much of it

LA Times  

President Trump, whose plans to campaign on a booming economy were ruined by the coronavirus, traveled Tuesday to the southern edge of Arizona to highlight completion of “more than 200 miles of powerful border wall” with Mexico. Only about “three miles of new border wall system constructed in locations where no barriers previously existed,” according to Homeland Security’s June 19 …

U.S. awards $275 million border wall contract
4 years, 8 months ago

U.S. awards $275 million border wall contract

The Hindu  

The U.S. government has awarded a $275 million border-wall contract for construction that is set to begin in South Texas in January, at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term if he is re-elected. Caddell Construction Company, based in Montgomery, Alabama, won the contract to build 22.5 km of barriers in and around Laredo, Texas, a city of 2,60,000 …

Pentagon restarts some domestic building projects that lost funding to Trump’s wall
4 years, 8 months ago

Pentagon restarts some domestic building projects that lost funding to Trump’s wall

CNN  

Washington CNN — Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has directed that several military construction projects in the US that had been put on hold to divert money to President Donald Trump’s border wall be restarted, with funds for the wall instead being redirected from overseas building projects. “I direct you to release funding associated with 22 currently deferred projects within …

Trump administration taking $3.8bn from military for border wall
4 years, 10 months ago

Trump administration taking $3.8bn from military for border wall

Al Jazeera  

The $3.8bn would come from National Guard and weapons programmes, setting the stage for possible clash with Democrats. The United States Defense Department sent Congress a request to shift nearly four billion dollars from the military budget to pay for a wall on the border with Mexico, a central promise of President Donald Trump’s campaign for the White House four …

DHS seeks Pentagon funds for 270 miles of border wall
4 years, 11 months ago

DHS seeks Pentagon funds for 270 miles of border wall

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Pentagon to fund the construction of 270 miles of border wall this year as part of a counter-drug effort, defense officials said Thursday. Earlier this week, officials said the Trump administration was weighing whether to shift billions more in military funding to build the border wall. And House Appropriations Committee …

DHS has requested Pentagon assistance to build 270 miles of border wall
4 years, 11 months ago

DHS has requested Pentagon assistance to build 270 miles of border wall

CNN  

CNN — The Pentagon received a Department of Homeland Security request Wednesday to build and pay for hundreds of additional miles of border wall on the southwest border, according to the Department of Defense. “On January 15, 2020, the Department of Defense received a request from the Department of Homeland Security requesting DoD assistance in blocking up to 13 specific …

Trump administration reaches 100-mile mark for border wall
5 years ago

Trump administration reaches 100-mile mark for border wall

CNN  

Washington CNN — The Trump administration has built 100 miles of new wall along the US-Mexico border – the majority of which is replacing previous construction – acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced in Arizona on Friday, as the administration touts its record ahead of the presidential election. “One thing I want to emphasize is that every inch of …

Judge halts some military spending on border wall
5 years ago

Judge halts some military spending on border wall

Associated Press  

EL PASO, Texas — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from spending some Defense Department money to build a border wall with Mexico, the latest twist in a long-running legal battle over one of the president’s signature domestic issues and campaign priorities. The ruling by District Judge David Briones in El Paso, Texas, prevents the government from …

Wall builder who pitched to Trump on Fox wins $400M contract
5 years, 1 month ago

Wall builder who pitched to Trump on Fox wins $400M contract

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — Tommy Fisher’s ambitious plan to win a border wall contract included what could be the next best thing to making a pitch directly to President Donald Trump himself — talking to him through his favorite cable TV channel, Fox News. Fisher’s North Dakota-based firm was awarded a $400 million contract this week to build 31 miles of …

Trump border wall $400 million contract handed to company owned by Republican donor who promoted firm on Fox News
5 years, 1 month ago

Trump border wall $400 million contract handed to company owned by Republican donor who promoted firm on Fox News

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A …

Construction company building private wall for group with Trump ties wins government contract
5 years, 1 month ago

Construction company building private wall for group with Trump ties wins government contract

CNN  

CNN — A company touted by White House officials – and that’s already building sections of border wall for a private group with Trump administration ties – has been awarded $400 million by the government to design and build part of President Donald Trump’s border barrier in Yuma County, Arizona. The Pentagon on Monday announced that North Dakota company Fisher …

Trump calls new border wall a ‘world-class security system’
5 years, 3 months ago

Trump calls new border wall a ‘world-class security system’

Associated Press  

SAN DIEGO — President Donald Trump signed his name on a newly constructed section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, calling it a “world-class security system” that will be virtually impenetrable. Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, defended the project, dismissing critics who call it the “president’s vanity wall.” “I’m here to tell you that’s false,” he …

Donald Trump calls newly-constructed section of US-Mexico border wall 'world-class security system', dubs structure 'virtually impenetrable'
5 years, 3 months ago

Donald Trump calls newly-constructed section of US-Mexico border wall 'world-class security system', dubs structure 'virtually impenetrable'

Firstpost  

President Donald Trump signed his name Wednesday on a newly constructed section of the US-Mexico border wall, calling it a ‘world-class security system’ that will be virtually impenetrable San Diego: President Donald Trump signed his name Wednesday on a newly constructed section of the US-Mexico border wall, calling it a “world-class security system” that will be virtually impenetrable. “It was …

Pentagon approves military construction cash for border wall
5 years, 4 months ago

Pentagon approves military construction cash for border wall

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday approved the use of $3.6 billion in funding from military construction projects to build 175 miles of President Donald Trump’s wall along the Mexican border. Instead, the Pentagon is saying the military projects are being “deferred.” The Defense Department, however, has no guarantee from Congress that any of the money will be …

Mexico border wall: Trump orders aides to seize private land and disregard environmental rules
5 years, 4 months ago

Mexico border wall: Trump orders aides to seize private land and disregard environmental rules

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy President Donald Trump is so eager to complete hundreds of …

Trump administration to spend $2.5bn in Pentagon funds on border wall following Supreme Court ruling
5 years, 5 months ago

Trump administration to spend $2.5bn in Pentagon funds on border wall following Supreme Court ruling

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Donald Trump has celebrated after the US Supreme Court gave …

Trump has not built single mile of new border wall since taking office
5 years, 5 months ago

Trump has not built single mile of new border wall since taking office

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy It was the controversial campaign promise that Donald Trump built …

Trump has built less than 2 miles of new wall with $1.57 BILLION Congress handed him for this year
5 years, 7 months ago

Trump has built less than 2 miles of new wall with $1.57 BILLION Congress handed him for this year

Daily Mail  

The Trump administration has built less than 2 miles of new border barriers using the $1.57 billion Congress allocated to the project for the fiscal year that will end September 30, according to a letter filed Tuesday in federal court. President Donald Trump played defense on Wednesday after a lawyer for Congress told a federal judge that his administration has …

Pentagon authorises $1 bn for Donald Trump's US-Mexico border wall, asks army to begin planning roads, fences
5 years, 9 months ago

Pentagon authorises $1 bn for Donald Trump's US-Mexico border wall, asks army to begin planning roads, fences

Firstpost  

Frustrated by Congress’s refusal to provide the budget he sought to build a border wall, Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month in order to bypass lawmakers to unlock $8 billion in funding. Washington: Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan said Monday he had authorized $1 billion to build part of the wall sought by President Donald Trump along the …

Border wall deal: How Republicans are trying to persuade Trump to sign it.
5 years, 10 months ago

Border wall deal: How Republicans are trying to persuade Trump to sign it.

Slate  

President Donald Trump is not a fan of the border deal that congressional negotiators struck Monday night, the one that he would need to sign by the end of the week to avoid the year’s second government shutdown. “We’ve always been for fencing,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said during his weekly press conference, “but this doesn’t allow for a …

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