A private U.S. company has proposed building 234 miles of wall on the southern border for just $1.4 billion.
The $1.4 billion number is just a fraction of the $8 billion President Trump plans to use for the border wall construction, but would effectively eliminate overpayment due to excessive government regulations, Fisher Sand and Gravel Company’s President and CEO Tommy Fisher told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
“Our whole point is to break through the government bureaucracy,” Fisher said. “If they do the small procurements as they are now … that’s not going to cut it.”
A U.S. company is offering to build 234 miles of President Trump’s border wallhttps://t.co/XDP7qNgasx
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 5, 2019
Fisher’s $1.4 billion estimate would include 214 miles of regular wall in the Rio Grande Valley, in addition to 20 miles worth of levee wall. A wall with paved roads, various technologies and a warranty could be built for $4.31 billion.
The company released a video demonstration last year of a border wall proposal that included border patrol roads built atop elevated ground, providing height for improved surveillance.
“Our wall will provide protection for all Americans, but our proposal is more than just a wall—it’s infrastructure for border agents,” the company tweeted at the time.
Our wall will provide protection for all Americans, but our proposal is more than just a wall – it’s infrastructure for border agents. pic.twitter.com/p7gsiRAnSN
— Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. (@FisherSandG) January 19, 2018
A few months later in May 2018, the company purchased 1,075 acres of land in southern California along the Mexican border to practice their wall-building efforts.
“We just purchased 1,075 acres of prime property east of Tecate along the Border in Southern California. This unique land acquisition allows us to show case our border security system construction abilities,” the company tweeted at the time.
We just purchased 1,075 acres of prime property east of Tecate along the Border in Southern California. This unique land acquisition allows us to show case our border security system construction abilities. #BuildTheWall @realDonaldTrump @DHSgov @CBP pic.twitter.com/mMX3kOMp1d
— Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. (@FisherSandG) May 17, 2018
Fisher also introduced a wall construction proposal – which included plans for a poured-concrete wall system — to Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer.
Congress passed a bill last month that allocated just $1.375 billion for border security and permitted fencing for 55 miles – far below the $5.7 billion figure that Trump asked for.
Trump declared a national emergency in order to divert $6.5 billion from other federal departments and direct it to southern border security — totaling roughly $8 billion for more than 200 miles of steel border barriers.
“We’re going to confront the national security crisis on our southern border. One way or the other, we have to do it. Not only because it was a campaign promise, which it was – one of many, by the way,” Trump said.
