President-elect Donald Trump is calling on President Joe Biden to halt an auction allowing states to buy up portions of the wall in Arizona running along the country’s southern border.
Materials are being auctioned off on the website GOVPLANET with the starting bids at $5 for a Wednesday auction. These listings have since been taken off the website.
As far back as August 2023, Biden’s administration has been selling border wall materials, according to the Texan. During a Monday press conference, Trump asked Biden to stop selling the parts of the wall.
In his long answer about the transition process, Trump claimed that the Biden administration made “a deal with the United States to buy [the materials] for pennies, and then they call us and they say, ‘Do you want to buy it back?’”
The wall “really worked, and it worked well, and it’s very expensive to do, and I’m asking Joe Biden to stop his people from giving it away,” Trump said. “It’s something that people can’t even believe is happening. So hopefully Joe will be able to stop it.”
Defense Department officials said in a statement that they were required by Congress in section 2890 of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act to make a plan to use, transfer, or donate unused border wall. They said states on the southern border were given preference to request the other border wall materials with both California and Texas emerging as lead buyers, having requested and received 60% of the materials. The remaining 40%, they said, were sold to GOVPLANET to be auctioned off.
“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,” a defense official said.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) said his state will begin to make plans to purchase materials for the southern border wall and “give it to Trump.”
“I got a billion dollars in my pocket to do it,” Patrick said. “I will go in and buy it all.”
Patrick said he had spoken with Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) about purchasing the materials, noting the Texas Facilities Commission indicated that “the material for sale was mostly junk, with most panels covered in concrete and rust.”
“Rest assured, if they sell any panels that make economic sense, we will buy them and give them to President Trump when he takes office,” Patrick said.
Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who was in office during Trump’s presidency, called the sale “reckless.”
Right here in AZ, @JoeBiden is attempting a last ditch effort to keep America’s borders open by selling off materials the Trump Admin will use to finish the wall. This decision from President Biden is reckless, will make Arizonans less safe, and should be reversed — immediately. https://t.co/GRmVAvvEGc
— Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) December 13, 2024
Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto agreed with Ducey, telling ABC 15 the auction is making some agents upset. He said that no matter the reason behind the auctions, selling the materials is a waste of government resources and taxpayer dollars.
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“All of it pretty much could be utilized, they could put down footing, pick it back up, and use it,” Del Cueto said. “Instead, what are they doing? They’re auctioning it off.
“When you have to start with the new administration, wanting to rebuild it, what are we going to have to do,” Del Cueto continued. “You’re going to have to use more taxpayer-funded money, which is insane to me.”