[ad_1]
Newou can listen to Fox News articles!
First Fox: The Global Government Achievement Auction House, which lists unused components of President Donald Trump’s border wall under the Biden administration, told Fox News Digital on Friday it plans to coordinate with the Trump administration to return some of the material to the federal government.
In January 2021, President Joe Biden began moving on a series of events that ultimately led to the sale of unconstructed boundary wall components and tools.
“Like all countries, the US has the right and duty to secure borders and protect people from threats. But building a massive wall across the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution,” Biden said in the construction of a suspension of executive orders.
Until Friday, the ultimate fate of unused boundary wall materials, originally estimated to be worth between $260 million and $350 million, remained largely unknown. A controversial court battle in Texas last December led to a 30-day freeze on auctions, but since then, few have not been made public.
As illegal intersections plunge to historic lows, boundary wall construction will skyrocket
There is a mountain of unused border fences in one of the Johnson Ranch boundary wall construction staging areas near Columbus, New Mexico on April 12, 2021 (Getty)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Govplanet (Auction Clearinghouse for Public Sector and Government surplus) announced on Friday it had reached a breakthrough with the Trump administration.
“The government reached an agreement in collaboration with the border emperor’s office to return the materials for the border wall that were previously considered surplus and that the federal government has procured by the federal government via existing contracts,” said the company, known as Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers-RB Global, a subsidiary of British Columbia-based international operations, a supporter of Illinois.
“Third-party companies that have been contracted to build border walls will receive the materials over the next 90 days,” added Govplanet.
Govplanet officials said they are happy to work with the administration to “cost” the material to the Fed and “protect the millions of dollars US taxpayers have already invested in the initiative.”
“We are promoting the transfer of these materials to support the administration’s border protection program. We value our long-standing partnership with the US government and look forward to continuing to support US federal agencies.”
The expansion of Trump’s boundary wall will advance in several key areas: “The crisis is not over yet”
Asked about the allegations from the auction house, White House officials told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration “awesome all third parties interested in helping to keep American borders safe and secure.”
Deb Fischer, R-Neb, after Biden’s order freeze construction that ultimately led to a former auction. , after leading to R-Iowa’s Joni Ernst, said taxpayer money is being spent by the Pentagon to protect the materials as the Pentagon is tormenting in the New Mexico desert.
The 2023 release from Fisher cited figures of $130,000 per day for storage and security of panels in New Mexico and Arizona.
Under the provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act 2024 (NDAA), the Pentagon has requested that a plan be submitted for the transfer or sale of materials.
Approximately 60% of the boundary wall components were transferred to southwestern states such as Texas and California, and then moved to the US Customs and Border Protection Agency.
Texas Lt. Colonel Dan Patrick told Fox News that Texas had bought about $12 million from the auction at the time.
Tens of thousands of bollards, panels and components, including structural tubes, were later placed at government auctions.
By August 2023, a lot of materials were listed for auction, according to the New York Post. The paper cited $154,200 payday for 729 “hollow beams” in one example.
A screenshot from the ABC-15 Phoenix website showed a 33-foot x 8-foot steel wall panel for $1 for five sets.
Ernst slammed the administration into the news saying that materials purchased with earned taxpayer funds were being sold for “dollar pennies.”
By then, a total of $498,000 had been paid for the entire material, according to Newsweek. The outlet cited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure they are being sold in accordance with federal acquisition rules.
Republican AG visits the Us-Mexico border wall as Trump’s “big and beautiful building” clears funds for expansion
However, the trail began to get colder after that hot summer. Lt. Colonel Patrick reported the Hearst newspaper in December, and it was said that more sales would be frozen until after Trump took office for the second time.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham argued in court that the Biden administration ignored previous court orders by selling the components.
Govplanet appeared to delete the item around that time.
In a Dec. 27 ruling, federal judge Drew Tipton of Texas banned the sale of wall materials for 30 days, according to law and crime.
The outlet cited Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, adding that Tipton further asked the Biden administration to explain whether he had violated a prior Texas favor ruling that required certain funds to build the border wall.
Texas claimed that Biden’s auctions net buyer’s wall components at a rate of about half a mile per day if they were built as Trump originally intended.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Until Fox News Digital contacted Govplanet on Friday, there appears to have been little sales movement since the 30-day moratorium expired in January.
According to some reports, the federal government said it does not own border wall components that the Biden administration has set up for auction, and Govplanet/Rbglobal said it legally owns them.
Art del Quet, a Border Patrol official, told ABC-15 that the shares cited in the sales report “are mostly available.”
“They could put their feet down and get it back and use it,” he said.
“When you have to start with a new administration, you want to rebuild it, what we have to do, you will have to spend more taxpayer-funded money.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Patrick’s office and DHS for comment.
Charles Kraitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers the media, politics and culture of Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
[ad_2]Source link
