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Joe Biden Cancels Order Donald Trump Used To Construct US-Mexico Border Wall

Joe Biden Cancels Order Donald Trump Used To Construct US-Mexico Border Wall

The President said the declaration was 'unwarranted' and has paused federal funding on the project.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Joe Biden has cancelled the national emergency declaration Donald Trump used to channel military funds to build the border wall between the US and Mexico.

The border wall was one of Trump's big slogans going into the 2016 US election and he knew his supporters were keen on the idea.

But he struggled to get the funds needed for such a massive project and faced several political hurdles.

However in 2019, Trump declared a statement of emergency in 2019 on the border, which allowed him to go around Congress and use military funds to build his dream border wall.

PA

Fast forward nearly two years and his successor has reversed that decision on the belief that the state of emergency was 'unwarranted'.

In a letter to Congress, Joe Biden said: "I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border was unwarranted.

"I have also announced that it shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall, and that I am directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to that end."

When Trump left the White House on January 20, around USD$25 billion had already been spent on the project.

There was only 128 kilometres of new barriers that were constructed and nearly 643 kilometres of exisiting parts of the border wall were upgraded.

On Biden's first day in office, he issued an executive order that paused all funds going towards the border wall and questioned whether it was valid to begin construction in the first place. The order was one of dozens Biden has signed in his first few weeks in the top job.

PA

"The President has directed the Executive Branch to undertake an assessment of 'the legality of the funding and contracting methods used to construct the wall',"the administration wrote to the Supreme Court earlier this month.

Critics of the border wall have savaged Donald Trump for undertaking a project that was not only dripping with racial undertones, but also one that would come at an enormous cost to the taxpayer.

Arizona Democrat Raúl Grijalva, who represents a district that covers more than half of his state's border with Mexico, said on Twitter: "Trump's national emergency was never about security.

"It was about stealing money to fund a monument to his racist policies along the Southern Border. Now we must cancel the contracts & ensure that not another foot of border wall is constructed."

Featured Image Credit: PA