In a development certain to infuriate former President Donald Trump, the New York Post reports that the Biden administration has been selling off components intended for use in the construction of a border wall separating the U.S. and Mexico.
The sales come despite Senate passage of legislation designed to prompt the completion of strategic extensions to the barrier in particularly problematic areas along the border.
Parts sales confirmed
According to the Post, GovPlanet, an online sales clearinghouse focusing on military surplus items, has completed sales of 81 lots of what were described as steel “square structural tubes” since April.
The materials were reportedly designed to be used as part of the 30-foot-tall wall panels, and the sales were said to yield roughly $2 million.
In addition, another $154,200 in sales came from the dispatch of 729 hollow beams that went for approximately $212 each.
As the Post reported, 13 other lots are slated for auction on Aug. 23 and Aug. 30, and it seems likely that the items included will fetch prices considerably lower than the amounts paid by the federal government to initially acquire them, though the sums received will reportedly go back to the Pentagon, according to the Daily Caller.
Undermining legislative intent
The administration's under-the-radar disposition of wall components, however, comes at a time when Congress is potentially poised to pass a measure that will effectuate extensions of existing portions of the border wall to stem the tide of migrants making their way into the country.
It was only last month that the Senate approved a GOP-sponsored bill referred to as the Finish It Act, legislation designed to spur completion of the desired extensions despite Biden administration reluctance.
The terms of the Act would require the federal government to utilize already-purchased materials for wall construction purposes or, alternatively, relinquish them to border states so that they can bolster their own border security initiatives.
Biden's apparent urgency in disposing of the materials before the Republican-led House can greenlight the measure has garnered searing criticism.
Lawmakers weigh in
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) declared of the administration's maneuvers, “This sale is a wasteful and ludicrous decision by the Biden administration that only serves as further proof they have no shame.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) was even more succinct in his assessment, saying, “Leaving the border open to terrorists while selling border security materials at a loss is Bidenomics in a nutshell.”
