March 17, 2025
Army Corps awards $70 million border wall contract bypassing competitive bidding
Taxpayers pay millions per mile for ineffective barrier
💵Tax & Budget🛡️National Security
In Mar. 2025, Trump awarded the first border wall contract of his second term - $70 million for 7 miles in Texas, using unspent Congressional appropriations from fiscal year 2021 that Biden chose not to spend
Granite Construction receives $10 million per mile for border barrier construction while federal transportation, education, and social programs face massive budget reductions elsewhere
Trump plans to build 85 miles of border wall in 2025 and hundreds more by 2026, demonstrating how unspent appropriations remain available for future presidents without new congressional authorization
Hidalgo County, Texas receives $70 million in federal infrastructure investment while other regions face cuts, revealing how border construction receives protection from budget austerity
Private contractors like Granite Construction have earned billions from border barrier contracts spanning Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, creating steady revenue streams regardless of party control
Senator Katie Britt's $25 billion WALL Act faces impossible Senate math requiring 60 votes in an evenly divided chamber, but existing appropriations allow substantial construction without new legislation
The border security industrial complex guarantees contractor profits through revolving cycles of construction cancellations and restarts across different presidential administrations
💵Tax & Budget🛡️National Security
Test Your Knowledge
10
Q1
Which company received the first border wall contract of Trump's second term?
Q2
Who is Trump's Homeland Security Secretary who announced wall construction had officially begun?
Q3
Vice President JD Vance visited the southern border to highlight Trump administration border efforts.
Q4
Former President Biden froze funding for the border wall program when he took office.
Q5
During Trump's first term, 458 miles of border wall were completed.
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Start QuizPeople, bills, and sources
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Katie Britt
U.S. Senator from Alabama
Joe Biden
Former President