Trump administration has found only $20 million in existing funds for $21.6 billion wall

[Miles Archer]

The rapid start of construction, promised throughout Trump's campaign and in an executive order issued in January on border security, was to be financed, according to the White House, with "existing funds and resources" of the Department of Homeland Security.

But so far, the DHS has identified only $20 million that can be re-directed to the multi-billion-dollar project, according to a document prepared by the agency and distributed to congressional budget staff last week.

The document said the funds would be enough to cover a handful of contracts for wall prototypes, but not enough to begin construction of an actual barrier. This means that for the wall to move forward, the White House will need to convince Congress to appropriate funds.

An internal report, previously reported by Reuters, estimated that fully walling off or fencing the entire southern border would cost $21.6 billion - $9.3 million per mile of fence and $17.8 million per mile of wall.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-funds-idUSKBN1685SY?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

[GusBob]

1. "bring us some shrubbery!"

Maybe a nice hedge of Hawthorne would work

[pfitz59]

2. That won't even pay for the engineering consultants...

let alone Environmental Impact Statements. but who am I kidding, EPA will d away with those shortly...

[BumRushDaShow]

4. A couple of us calculated that

you might be able to buy 1900 miles worth of police tape and and just over 1,000,000 poles for about that much!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141717328#post1

[no_hypocrisy]

3. The architects, the engineers, the builders can't possibly expect to get paid.

It's Donald Trump and they know his history of not paying.

[Kittycow]

5. Wait, wut...Mexico won't front the money? ;)

[Vinca]

6. That won't even buy chain link fencing from Home Depot.

My real concern is Grandma's going to pay for it with a massive cut to Medicare and SS.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Certainly Not 2000 Miles of It

Maybe we could just put a line of gravel and tell people they don't get to cross that line. Hey, that's no more stupid an idea than the wall.

[Kittycow]

8. That would be me as well! Both aspects of Vinca's remark.

I'm on both those programs that I earned and I'm just waiting for the axe to fall. I have a safety net sort of via my husband but there's so many other disabled people who don't