President Donald trump wants to keep his promise to build a big, beautiful wall at the U.S-Mexican border. According to two contract notices posted to a government website, Trump's ideal border wall should be 30-feet-high and look good from the North Side. It must be difficult to climb and even more difficult to cut through.
According to Congressional Republicans, Trump's U.S-Mexico border would cost between $12-$15 billion, and Trump has suggested he wants the wall to cost $12 billion - a small discrepancy between Trump's suggested cost and Homeland Security Secretary, John Kelly,'s estimate of approximately $21 billion to build the wall.
A budget proposal sent to Congress
Last week a budget proposal sent to Congress included a $2.6 billion down payment for the U.S-Mexico border wall. The proposal did not make clear what the total cost of the wall would be, but the Government Accountability Office has estimated it around $6.5 million per mile – to keep pedestrians out, and around $1.8 million per mile for a barrier wall – to keep out those trying to cross by car or truck or any vehicle at all.
A U.S official involved in border issues said he wanted his name to be kept anonymous because the report had not been made public.
The report included two phases
The initial phase includes extending fences 26 miles. The second phase would add 151 miles.
Where fences are already installed they would add 272 replacement miles – according to the anonymous official. Phase one and two would cost $5 billion.
Nobody knows when Congress will act on the President's request. Nobody knows how much it will cost or how much money lawmakers will eventually approve for the Mexican wall. Both the Republican and Democrats have agreed – the U.S.-Mexican border wall is unnecessary.
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security reported the number of borders arrested dropped approximately 44 percent from January to February. Since the start of the 2012 budget year that hs been the lowest monthly tallies. Contracts will be awarded, by the government, based on sample walls built in San Diego. It is unclear, according to the latest contract notices, if any firms have submitted proposals.
What is clear, however, is that in recent days Trump has bragged that the wall is ahead of schedule.
