President Biden has ordered a 60-day review of all current contracts pertaining to the construction of the controversial border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
In one of his first executive orders, Biden announced that he would allow for “no more American taxpayer dollars to be diverted to construction” of that wall.
The President also said that he was directing what he called a “careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to construction of a southern border wall.”
That review is expected to disclose which contracts as part of the massive $10 billion project can be done away with, and which will be renegotiated.
Of particularly interest is what will happen to the nearly $6 billion moved from the Defense and Treasury departments under the Trump administration for the wall project.
Altogether, under Trump some 450 miles of wall had been constructed, the majority of it replacement structures. New portions were made up of 30-foot tall steel bollards filled with concrete.
In his order, Biden called upon the Defense Department and Homeland Security to “develop a plan for the redirection of funds” related to the wall construction, “as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.”
The order prohibits contractors from doing any further work on the wall, excluding what is “necessary to safely prepare each site for a suspension of work.”
While reports indicate that contractors are entitled to settlement payments for all money they have spent on materials and labor through the Army Corps of Engineers, it is uncertain whether new sections of the wall will eventually be demolished or left intact.
By Garry Boulard
