Stephen Dinan | April 28, 2025
(The Washington Times) — The House Homeland Security Committee released its budget proposal Sunday, calling for $46.5 billion in new money to pay for President Trump’s border wall.
Committee Republicans are also calling for billions more in personnel, equipment and bonuses to help maintain what’s been a dramatic decrease in illegal cross-border traffic.
The money is part of the budget “reconciliation” process. Congress passed its broad budget outline earlier this year and now committees are pushing to flesh out the top line numbers with specifics.
The wall money would be a massive increase over Mr. Trump’s first term. He cobbled together about $15 billion from money allocated by Congress as well as funds he siphoned from the Pentagon through emergency powers.
Sunday’s proposal would triple that.
It calls for “completion” of 701 miles of primary wall, 629 miles of secondary barriers, 900 miles of river barriers and replacement of 141 miles of existing vehicle and pedestrian barriers.
Committee Chairman Mark Green, Tennessee Republican, said the money will help Homeland Security keep Mr. Trump’s early success going.
“Any lawmaker who claims to care about border security will need to put their money where their mouth is and work to advance these recommendations,” he said.
The wall is a complete system, with technology and roads to allow detection and interdiction of people who make it over. Border Patrol agents say the point of the wall isn’t to stop all crossings but rather to funnel them in a way that agents can respond and nab people who do come.
The wall proved to be one of Mr. Trump’s most divisive proposals during his first administration, with congressional Democrats attempting to block money. Even congressional Republicans called for far less funding than the president wanted.
His demand for more led to one partial government shutdown in 2018 and 2019.
President Joseph R. Biden, upon taking office in 2021, issued an order halting all construction. That led to bizarre situations where gaps were left unfinished.
The Government Accountability Office also dinged the Trump administration for its haphazard construction of the wall. GAO investigators said Mr. Trump prioritized erecting the fencing but shortchanged construction of the roads and installation of the technology to complete the system.
Out of more than 450 miles Mr. Trump claimed to have built in his first term, GAO said only 69 were fully completed.
