The Biden administration said it will also address flooding and soil erosion caused by unfinished sections of the wall.
The Pentagon said Friday it was canceling construction of parts of former President Donald Trump border wall with Mexico being built with military funds, with the return of unused money to the military.
Trump declared a national emergency in 2019 in an effort to redirect funding to build a wall along the southern U.S. border.
President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on January 20, his first day in office, ordering the freezing of border wall projects and leading a review of the legality of his funding and contracting methods.
“The Department of Defense is canceling all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally earmarked for other military missions and functions, such as military children’s schools, military construction projects abroad in nations. associates and the National Guard and Reserve team account, “Pentagon spokesman Jamal Brown said in a statement.
Brown said the returned funds will be used for deferred military construction projects.
As of Jan. 15, the government had spent $ 6.1 billion of the $ 10.8 billion on jobs it hired, a Democratic Senate aide with knowledge of the contracts spoke to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Publicly, the Trump administration said it raised $ 15 billion for the wall. The Senate councilor said it was actually $ 16.45 million, of which $ 5.8 billion was appropriated by Congress and the rest deviated of the departments of Defense and Finance.
From Trump background deviation of the Pentagon had been heavily criticized by lawmakers, who said it jeopardized national security and evaded Congress.
Construction of boundary walls near farmland in Progreso, Texas [File: Julio Cortez/AP Photo]
In 2019 alone, the military said more than 120 U.S. military construction projects would be negatively affected by the Trump measure.
The Biden administration also said Friday that it will begin work to address the risks of flooding and soil erosion of unfinished sections of the wall.
The construction “made big holes” in the flood barrier system in the lowlands of the Texas Rio Grande Valley, the Department of Homeland Security said. He said he would “quickly repair” the flood barrier system without widening the wall.
Officials in Hidalgo County, Texas, have expressed alarm over the risk of flooding during the hurricane season beginning in June by gaps in a system of dikes.
The department said it would also address “inadequate compaction of soil and building materials” along parts of a 22.4-kilometer (14-mile) barrier in San Diego and will soon reveal plans to address additional “damage.” derived from the construction of boundary walls. The San Diego Wall is largely in unpopulated stretches in areas restricted to border patrol officers.
