After completing a complete evaluation of the former president’s contentious hallmark immigration project, the Biden administration revealed intentions to restore to the Pentagon nearly $2 billion in unspent military construction money confiscated by the Trump administration for a wall on the US-Mexico border.
It’s the remaining monies from the roughly $14 billion in money identified by the Biden administration in April and redirected by Trump from other sections of the government to the border wall project.
While Biden campaigned on a promise to build “not another foot” of a border wall, the administration stated Friday that monies granted by Congress for “border barrier projects” this year will be spent unless legislators cancel or redirect the spending.
For the time being, the administration intends to put the cleanup of military construction sites along the border and environmental mitigation work ahead of deciding how to suspend the remaining funds if Congress does not act.
In the case of private land seized by the Trump administration through eminent domain procedures, the Biden administration will continue to assess whether the area obtained “remains required” for cleanup and environmental work.