Trump succeeded in freeing the Pentagon budget for the project by declaring the situation on the border an emergency. For example, Trump can still start building the wall, even though the US Congress did not want to budget for it.
Incumbent President Joe Biden announced in January that he would finish building the border wall. “In conjunction with the president’s announcement, the Defense Department will complete all border wall construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions,” a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday. “Today’s action shows the commitment of this government to defend our country and support our army and their families,” the spokesman added.
Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015 with a promise to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico and have Mexico pay for it. Mexico refused, however, as well as of the House of Representatives, where Democrats won the majority in 2018, Trump did not get a dime for his wall. Ultimately, Trump bypassed Parliament and made the controversial decision to pay for the wall with Pentagon money, forcing the Defense Department to spend billions of dollars for the project.
