XPost: or.politics, talk.politics.guns, sac.politics
President Joe Biden's administration said on Thursday it will add
sections to a border wall to stave off record migrant crossings from
Mexico, carrying forward a signature policy of former President Donald
Trump.
Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination to
challenge Biden, a Democrat, in the 2024 presidential race. Trump made
building border barriers a central tenet of his first campaign for
president with the rally chant, "Build That Wall."
One of Biden's first actions after taking office in January 2021 was to
issue a proclamation, opens new tab pledging that "no more American
taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall" as well as a
review of all resources that had already been committed.
The administration said Thursday's action did not deviate from Biden's proclamation because money that was allocated during Trump's term in
2019 had to be spent now.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that
there was "no new Administration policy with respect to border walls.
From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is
not the answer."
Mayorkas said the construction project was appropriated during the prior administration and the law requires the government to use the funds,
with an announcement made earlier in the year. "We have repeatedly asked Congress to rescind this money but it has not done so and we are
compelled to follow the law," he said.
Trump, however, was quick to claim victory and demand an apology.
"As I have stated often, over thousands of years, there are only two
things that have consistently worked, wheels, and walls!" Trump wrote on
social media. "Will Joe Biden apologize to me and America for taking so
long to get moving..."
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