Republican Texas Rep. Troy Nehls will introduce a House version of Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s legislation Thursday to let states request any needed material from the federal government in order to finish building the border wall.
The Daily Caller first obtained the the bill, titled the BUILD IT Act. The legislation would specifically require the federal government to transfer any material associated with the construction of the southern border barrier to any state, upon request, for the materials’ original purpose. In May, Ernst originally introduced the legislation in the Senate.
States such as Arizona and Texas have initiated action to continue construction on their sections of the border wall that have been left incomplete. (RELATED: Rep. Nehls Nominates Trump For Speaker After McCarthy Tells Conference He Won’t Run Again)
“President Biden’s open border has been an open invitation for over eight million illegal immigrants and a gateway for terrorists to infiltrate our country. Instead of securing the border, the Biden administration is auctioning off already-purchased border wall materials for pennies on the dollar. In a clear sign to taxpayers and illegal immigrants, border security doesn’t matter to this administration,” Ernst told the Caller before Nehls introduced the legislation in the House.
READ THE LEGISLATION HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“I have a simple solution, Mr. President: put the border materials to use, end the taxpayer-funded waste, and stop the unprecedented flow of illegal migrants and this threat to the homeland by building the wall and finishing it!” Ernst added. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Joni Ernst To Introduce Legislation To Finish Building Border Wall Ahead Of Title 42 Ending)
The Biden administration ended Title 42 on May 11. Title 42 is a public health measure issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to rapidly expel migrants on public health grounds.
Border agents encountered a record two million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021. In fiscal year 2021, they seized $3.31 billion in counterfeit goods, roughly 319,000 pounds of marijuana, over 190,000 pounds of methamphetamine and over 97,000 pounds of cocaine.
Biden signed an executive order to stop construction of the border wall in January 2021.
“One of the first things Joe Biden did when he took office was halt the construction of President Trump’s big, beautiful border wall,” Nehls told the Caller.
“If this wasn’t bad enough, the Biden Administration is now auctioning off materials paid for by Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars for little in return. I’m proud to introduce legislation with my Senate colleague, Joni Ernst, to stop the flow of bad hombres into our country and finish the construction of the border wall because the Biden Administration does not care about securing our borders and putting America first,” he added.