Federal courts in California and Texas ruled in early December that $3.6 billion in military construction funds cannot be diverted by the Trump administration to build 175 miles of wall along the southern border of the U.S.
In related actions, the U.S. Defense Dept.’s inspector general will audit a $400-million border wall contract just awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to North Dakota contractor Fisher Sand and Gravel to determine if it met solicitation standards, and on Dec. 19, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, requested a probe of border barrier procurement by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.