The Biden administration has announced plans to return more than $2 billion that the Trump administration diverted from the Pentagon to help pay for construction of a wall to secure the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Under the plan, the border wall project would lose much of its funding, the Associated Press (AP) reports, as well as the fast-track status that enabled it to bypass environmental regulations.
President Joe Biden suspended construction of the wall upon taking office while his administration reviewed the project. That angered Republicans in Congress eager to see it go forward amid an increase in apprehensions of migrants along the southwest border.
The new plan does not cancel the wall project outright, but it’s still likely to face opposition in Congress, the AP says, where many Republicans are eager to promote a project closely associated with former president Donald Trump.
“Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border and costs American taxpayers billions of dollars is not a serious policy solution or responsible use of federal funds,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement outlining the plan.
Source: Associated Press
