Sen. Tom Cotton is demanding accountability from the Department of Defense (DOD) as the Biden administration continues to sell off southern border wall materials at low prices before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday, Cotton insisted that all records related to these sales be preserved.
Cotton highlighted President Biden’s decision to halt border wall construction but questioned the DOD’s role in disposing of the materials. Fox News reported that sections of the border wall were being sold as scrap for “pennies on the dollar.” According to a DOD official, about 60% of these materials have been allocated to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas and California, while 40% was sold via GOVPLANET, a marketplace for surplus government goods. The official claimed the DOD no longer owns these materials and cannot prevent their sale.
In his letter, Cotton demanded that Austin ensure the preservation of all electronic and written records concerning the border wall materials. He also requested a detailed account of how the materials were disposed of under the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a list of companies involved in the sales.
Cotton criticized the Biden administration’s actions, stating that this “egregious waste of taxpayer money” would end with Trump’s return to office on January 20, 2025. He warned that Congress would use the preserved records to investigate the DOD’s role in undermining border security.
At a press conference, Trump urged the Biden administration to stop selling the materials, calling the move “almost a criminal act” and predicting it would cost “hundreds of millions of dollars more” to rebuild the wall. The DOD has not yet commented on the matter.
