The cost for building the border wall is currently unknown. Experts estimate the cost at about $8 billion, to build a fence that will cover over 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The current fencing varies in height but averages between 6 feet and 15 feet tall.
Cost to build border wall
On July 2, President Trump announced that he had instructed U.S. military officials to begin constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. While the president has yet to sign an official order or request funding from Congress, the Pentagon has reportedly been directed to reprogram $3.6 billion in existing funds to pay for the project.
In recent days, contracts have been awarded for concrete wall prototypes and construction of metal slat prototypes is expected to begin soon.
The following is a look at how much it will cost to build the border wall:
Military funding: $3.6 billion (for now)
Trump said on Monday that he has ordered the Pentagon to use funds from its military construction budget for the project. The money would be used for “about 33 miles of new fencing” in San Diego and another 17 miles of replacement fencing near San Diego, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. The money would also cover planning, design and construction of “about 85 more miles” of fencing in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley region, the official said without providing further details about those projects’ locations or timelines for completion.*
The U.S. government has awarded contracts to build President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico.
There are multiple companies that have won contracts to build the wall, but they are not yet permitted to start construction. The Department of Homeland Security has said the first phase of construction will begin in Fall 2019.
Trump has repeatedly said he will make Mexico pay for the wall, but Mexican officials have refused. In February, Trump declared a national emergency in an attempt to fund his border wall without congressional approval.
In a tweet on Tuesday morning, Trump said there was “no evidence” that his administration had diverted military funds for this purpose — despite reports from multiple outlets that it has done so.#ENDWRITE
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded four contracts to build border wall prototypes on Tuesday, the first step in President Donald Trump’s plan to construct a physical barrier between the United States and Mexico.
The four companies selected to build prototypes include Caddell Construction Co., Fisher Sand & Gravel Co., Texas Sterling Construction Co. and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company. The companies were chosen from a pool of more than 200 applicants and will each receive up to $300,000 for their work.
“This is the first visible step in fulfilling the president’s promise to secure our border,” said Elaine Duke, acting secretary of homeland security, in a statement announcing the awardees Tuesday afternoon. “Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people.”
Duke also said that Customs and Border Protection “will continue to explore all options available to us as we seek new ways to create a physical barrier.”
The Trump administration has awarded contracts to build the first prototypes of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
What are these prototype walls?
The construction of eight prototypes for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall began Wednesday in San Diego. The prototypes will be built to exact specifications, including a height and length that will allow them to be seen from both sides of the border and withstand a prolonged assault from sledgehammers, torches and battery-operated tools. They also must be able to prevent people from scaling them.
The walls will be built in Otay Mesa, just east of San Diego. They will cost $20 million to $30 million and should be completed within 30 days, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6ef523e33d7fa135b8180f581c27df14/Del%20Rio%20DPS%20Surge%20MG%20TT%2043.jpg)
Dozens of companies responded to CBP’s call for wall proposals earlier this year, including some Mexican companies like Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua. The agency received more than 200 responses from interested contractors before narrowing it down to 20 finalists in January who were invited back for final bidding on April 4 — two days after Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to begin work on his promised wall along the southern border
The cost of building a border wall has been estimated at between $25 billion and $70 billion.
The government has not yet released any detailed plans, so it’s hard to say exactly how much it will cost. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a document with some estimates for different types of fencing.
The DHS’ estimates range from $18 million to $25 million per mile for pedestrian fencing and from $6.5 million to $11 million per mile for vehicle fencing. The higher end of these figures would add up to about $20 billion for just over 700 miles of fencing — almost double what Trump estimated during the campaign.
Those estimates may be too low, however. According to an analysis by MIT Technology Review, building a concrete wall would cost at least twice as much as the DHS’ figures suggest.
The US government has awarded contracts worth over $1bn to build prototypes of Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico, according to reports.
The bidding process, which began in March, saw companies compete for the chance to build four concrete prototypes of the 2,000-mile barrier.
Six companies were chosen as finalists but only three have been named by Customs and Border Protection officials as successful bidders.
The $300m (£240m) contract will be paid for with money from the Department of Defense, rather than being approved by Congress.
Earlier this year, President Trump said he wanted to use the military budget for his wall because it was so hard to get funding through Congress.
He also said that he would be “proud” to shut down the government if Congress refused to approve funding for the wall.
The wall is not a solution to the immigration problem, but it is an important symbol of the President’s commitment to securing our borders.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded 11 companies contracts to build parts of the border wall. DHS announced that they have awarded the 11 companies with contract worth $1.57 billion combined. The contracts will be completed over the next three years.
In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a wall on the southern border of the United States. The wall is expected to cost between $8 million and $25 million per mile, depending on whether it’s made from concrete or other materials
Trump has said that he wants the wall built by October 2020 — in time for his re-election campaign — but Democrats have vowed to fight any construction funding in Congress.
The president has also been pushing for $5 billion in funding to begin building the wall, but congressional Democrats appear unwilling to approve any part of his budget request until they get a deal on funding for other programs.
What’s more, the Democratic-controlled House is unlikely to approve any military spending bill that includes funding for Trump’s border wall because it would be a violation of federal law limiting such activities outside national defense purposes.
The Trump administration is considering using existing funds in the Defense Department’s budget for the wall, according to two current officials.
The White House has asked the Pentagon to study options for diverting money from its military construction projects to build the border wall, according to several U.S. officials. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has also been asked by the White House to see how much money could be saved if it cancels multibillion-dollar programs such as new aircraft carriers and F-35 fighter jets.
The request was made on Wednesday at a meeting among acting OMB Director Russ Vought, acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, said one official familiar with the meeting.
The Pentagon has already begun studying options for diverting funding from its military construction projects to help pay for President Trump’s border wall, two U.S. officials confirmed Thursday night after CNN first reported that the White House was asking the Pentagon for options on how much money could be saved if it cancels multibillion-dollar programs such as new aircraft carriers and F-35 fighter jets.. The move comes after acting OMB Director Russ Vought requested information about how much money could be saved by canceling programs
The border wall is one of the most polarizing issues in the United States. There are many people who want it built and many others who don’t.
The president wants $5 billion to begin building the wall, but Democrats have refused to give him any money. The president has threatened a government shutdown if they don’t give him the money, but he’s also floated the idea of taking funds from other programs, such as military construction projects.
We’ve broken down how much it would cost to build a border wall across all 1,954 miles of our southern border with Mexico. We also looked into how much it would cost to build just a portion of that wall in different areas based on what we know so far about where President Trump plans to build it first.