Comer, LaTurner, Oversight Republicans Probe Biden Administration Selling Border Wall Materials

WASHINGTON— House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.), and Oversight Committee Republicans are investigating recent reports that the Biden Administration is selling off procured materials intended to construct part of the U.S.-Mexico border wall system. In a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General Scott Spellmon, the lawmakers request documents and information to enable oversight over the administration’s actions in selling vital border wall components.

“The Biden Administration’s decision to sell already purchased border materials is waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars. The United States is facing the worst border crisis in our history due to the Biden Administration’s policies. We should be using tools already at our disposal to stop the surge of illegal border crossings,” said Chairman Comer. “When someone is repeatedly breaking into your home, you don’t sell the locks on the door. These border materials have sat rotting in the sun since day one of President Biden’s tenure when he signed a reckless proclamation halting border wall construction. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ failure to secure the border has allowed drugs, crime, and human trafficking to pour into the U.S., killing and endangering American citizens. I look forward to learning from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers what further negligence the Biden Administration is engaging in.”

Every year since Fiscal Year 2018, Congress had provided funds for barriers and fencing along the southwest border, clearly signaling Congress’s intent to secure the border with a physical barrier. However, President Biden halted the construction of the border wall the day he was inaugurated. This occurred despite a December 2020 law. Instead of endeavoring to enhance border security, reports indicate that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working with the Defense Logistics Agency to sell off hundreds of millions of dollars in border wall materials.

“Joe Biden let taxpayer-funded border wall parts sit and rust while millions of illegal immigrants and thousands of pounds of drugs flowed into our country,” said Rep. LaTurner. “Now we are witnessing a desperate attempt by this failed administration to sell off these parts for a loss to avoid having to secure the border. I’m proud to team up with Chairman Comer and my colleagues on the Oversight Committee to get to the bottom of this shameful dereliction of duty.”

Read the letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here.