During a debate with George H.W. Bush in New Hampshire in 1980, the moderator asked that Ronald Reagan’s microphone be “turned off for the moment.” Reagan was angry and said something that might be applied to the failure of the Biden administration to use materials lying unused in Texas paid for during the Trump administration for the purpose of constructing the border wall. Said Reagan, “I paid for this microphone.” The clear implication was that since he paid for it, he ought to be able to use it.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is making a similar argument. He believes the Biden administration, either to spite Trump, or because it is not interested in securing the border, refuses to use materials already paid for by taxpayers for the purpose of resuming construction of the wall. As a result, Abbott has orderedthat construction resume, using state taxpayer funds and new materials.
More than a $100 million of taxpayer money was spent on materials intended for the border wall during the Trump administration. They should be made available to Gov. Abbott, but the Biden administration won’t allow it. President Biden canceled contracts for its construction after entering office last January.
The Texas Department of Transportation is set to pay nearly $25 million for the construction of a nearly two-mile concrete barrier along the border in Eagle Pass. The Texas Tribune reports: “Under the project, the state has also contracted for a temporary fence near the right of way along State Loop 480, which the Department of Public Safety has designated a high-traffic area for illegal immigration.”
Officers from the safety department are patrolling parts of the border where federal border control officers cannot be found. Immigrants who cross are being charged with trespassing and put in jail.