The Biden administration’s decision to auction off unused border wall materials for pennies on the dollar has sparked outrage, with President-elect Donald Trump calling it a deliberate act of sabotage.
President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized the Biden administration for selling unused border wall materials at what he described as a massive loss, calling it a deliberate attempt to sabotage border security efforts.
The materials, which were originally purchased for Trump’s border wall construction, are being auctioned on government surplus sites for a fraction of their value, according to a report last week from Daily Wire reporter James Lalino. Trump addressed the matter during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, slamming the administration’s decision.
“The administration is trying to sell it for five cents on the dollar, knowing that we’re getting ready to put it up,” Trump said. “It’s almost a criminal act. They know we’re going to use it, and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it, and it’ll cost double what it cost years ago. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Trump claimed the wall materials, totaling an estimated 200 miles worth, were purchased under his administration but never installed after President Joe Biden halted border wall construction upon taking office. Trump added that costs to replace the materials would now be “double the price of what it would have been six years ago.”
“They’re trying to stop our nation from securing the border,” Trump argued. “All it means really is that we’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more, not even talking about the time.”
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a close Trump ally, echoed the criticism last week but offered a slightly different perspective on the condition of the materials. Patrick claimed the Texas Facilities Commission found much of the auctioned material to be “mostly junk,” with panels covered in rust and concrete.
“There were a few panels that might be usable but not worth the cost of shipping to Texas from Arizona,” Patrick wrote in a post on X. “In short, this was a Biden ruse to gain favor with the radical left open border crowd, showing Biden was fighting President Trump to the bitter end.”
Patrick added that Texas would consider purchasing any viable materials and “give them to President Trump when he takes office.”
The controversy surrounding the border wall materials comes amid escalating tensions over border security policy. Trump has vowed to resume construction of the border wall when he returns to office, making immigration a central pillar of his platform. Biden, by contrast, halted construction early in his term, arguing that resources were better spent on other immigration measures.
Trump supporters have seized on the auction as another example of what they describe as the Biden administration’s lax approach to border security, while Trump framed the issue as emblematic of broader fiscal mismanagement.
“We had it all ready to go, and they just stopped it. Now they’re trying to throw it away,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace.”
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