The Biden administration said it would use funds Congress allocated for wall construction to address flooding and soil erosion along the southern border.
The Biden administration on Friday returned to the Pentagon more than $2 billion in military funds that President Trump had diverted for border wall construction, denouncing the transfers away from the Defense Department as wasteful. The funds — the unspent balance of $3.6 billion in Pentagon construction funding reprogramed during the Trump administration — will now be used as originally intended, for over 60 projects at military installations in the U.S. and overseas. During the Trump administration, the federal government built 52 miles of new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), with some stretches of barrier costing as much as $46 million per mile. Mr. Trump’s effort to build a wall along the border with Mexico — a signature campaign promise — became one of the most expensive federal construction projects in U.S. history. By the end of his presidency, officials had identified $15 billion to build border barriers by diverting $10 billion from military counter narcotics and construction programs and convincing Congress to allocate the rest. “The effort diverted critical resources away from military training facilities and schools, and caused serious risks to life, safety, and the environment,” the White House said in a statement Friday. “It also took attention away from genuine security challenges, like drug smuggling and human trafficking.” The restored funding will benefit military projects in 11 states, three U.S. territories and 16 countries, including plans to add two missile interceptors in Fort Greely, Alaska and revamp an elementary school for the children of U.S. service members stationed in Germany. Recipients of the restored funds also include two Marine battalions in North Carolina; an Air Guard marksmanship training program in Indiana; and a station at the Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida that will house fire-fighting vehicles and U.
