On the campaign trail, then-candidate Trump regularly promised to “build a big beautiful wall,” and it appears he means it.
Last Friday, the Department of Homeland Security amended their “pre-solicitation notice,” that calls for prototypes of the border wall. The notice was updated to include aesthetics as a criterion for judging proposals, in addition to, “anti-climbing, and resistance to tampering or damage.” DHS is asking for the first round of proposals for these prototypes to be submitted by March 20, 2017. While the notice is asking for a wall that is made of concrete and, “nominally 30 feet tall.” The exact government specifications for the “total wall solution” have not been announced.
Typically contractors are more concerned with the practical application of a project like the border wall. There are many questions about the effectiveness of the proposed wall in securing our border. However, the ever-vain Trump is insisting that the giant waste of taxpayer funds at least looks good. Maybe he’ll paint it gold.
ProRepublica reported on Wednesday that there will be a lot of competition when it comes to finding a company to build the wall. Reporter T. Christian Miller writes:
“More than 500 companies have expressed interest in the project. They include the usual cast of giant construction firms involved in federal projects. […] But the list also includes more than a hundred smaller minority and veteran-owned firms, who receive special consideration under government contracting laws. Eleven percent of the companies are owned by Latinos.”
According to DHS reports, the wall will take over three years to build, costing as much as $21.6 billion dollars. Candidate Trump bragged of a $12 billion cost during his campaign. With Mexico not caving to the President’s demands for them to pay for the wall, Ring of Fire’s Sydney Robinson wrote that the White House is considering cuts to FEMA, the TSA, and the Coast Guard to help pay for the wall.
The wall is to cover more than 1,250 miles of our border with Mexico. Fencing or walls already exist for approximately 650 miles of the border. Due for completion in 2020, the project will virtually cover the entire stretch of border.
