Over the last several months, the Biden administration has been auctioning off portions of the unused border wall materials that have been left rusting since Joe Biden took office, the Daily Caller reported.
The online auction house GovPlanet has been selling “thick wall tubes” and other materials since April and has already unloaded hundreds of thousands of dollars worth.
In a statement to the Daily Caller, Pentagon spokeswoman Raini Brunson confirmed that the Army Corps of Engineers has been “disposing” of the excess materials “in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation.”
But the timing of the auction is suspect, according to the New York Post.
As much as $300 million in wall components were left stranded after Joe Biden took office.
In May, Senate Republicans proposed the “Finish It Act” to force the Biden administration to turn over the unused materials to border states so they can use the material in constructing the border wall.
According to the New York Post, the auction schedule at GovPlanet increased after the “Finish It Act” was initially introduced and increased again earlier this month after the Senate included the measure in its version of the FY2024 defense spending bill.
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), the bill’s co-sponsor, told the New York Post that the “behind-the-scenes maneuvering” to auction off the unused materials is “a wasteful and ludicrous decision.”
The Daily Upside, which broke the story of the auction, reported that GovPlanet had been instructed by the Pentagon to avoid any mention of Donald Trump or that the construction materials were earmarked for the border wall when marketing the auction.
According to Pentagon spokeswoman Brunson, the Army Corps of Engineers has transferred around $154 million of the $260 million in excess wall materials and is prepared to “implement a decision” on the materials that remain.
The New York Post reported that the proceeds from the sale of the unused construction materials will go to the Department of Defense.
