Army Corps awards $70 million border wall contract bypassing competitive bidding

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