The Biden administration has reportedly been auctioning off border wall materials ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, drawing criticism from lawmakers accusing President Joe Biden of undermining the incoming administration.
The Daily Wire first reported on the auctions, a claim later corroborated by anonymous Border Patrol agents who criticized Biden’s decision to move border wall panels away from the southern border.
“They are taking it from three stations: Nogales, Tucson, and Three Points,” one agent stated, estimating that about half a mile of unused border wall material is being moved daily. “The goal is to move all of it off the border before Christmas.”
“When Trump comes back, and he wants to start the border wall all over again, the whole entire funding fight is gonna happen again,” the agent added. “That’s their play. He’s gonna have to fight for this sh** again.”
The materials, left unused after Biden halted border wall construction, are reportedly being transported to Arizona by DP Trucking, LLC, a government contractor.
“They just started taking all the wall that was not used, which is still totally good and usable, and they started taking it northbound,” the agent explained. “They’re pulling it all off the border.”
The panels are being sold online through “GovPlanet,” an auction platform for military surplus, with bidding starting at $5.
Republican lawmakers have criticized the move, estimating that $300 million in taxpayer-funded materials have been wasted and left to rust since Biden stopped construction on the wall.
Trump has pledged to resume border wall construction, a key issue in his re-election campaign. “The Biden Administration is well aware they shouldn’t have reversed the construction of the border wall,” stated Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.).
“If it’s true they’re purposefully hamstringing an incoming president, it wouldn’t be shocking. Why would they want to see President Trump succeed with policies they aggressively sabotaged?” Crane continued. “The American people gave President Trump a mandate in November, which included the fulfillment of his plans to secure the border. Any last-ditch attempt to obstruct this mandate by the Biden Administration would be a direct affront to the will of the people.”
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has vowed to take action, pledging to purchase the auctioned materials for Trump’s administration. “I will bid on all of that wall, and we will buy it in Texas, and we will give it to Donald Trump,” Patrick stated. “I’ve got a billion dollars in my pocket to do it.”
Patrick further criticized Biden’s actions during an interview on Fox News, saying, “It tells you they’re despicable. They’re despicable on what they’re doing to the American people, and the American people obviously aren’t gonna tolerate it, that’s why they were thrown out… We’ve been trying to buy this wall from them for four years and they wouldn’t sell it to us.”
