Rep. Chip Roy’s Amendment Diverts $5.7B from Transportation Bill to Fund Border Wall

U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) submitted an amendment to the INVEST in America Act to divert $5.7 billion in member-designated projects, commonly known as earmarks, to establish a border wall fund in the U.S. Treasury.

“Democrats included nearly $5.7 billion in corrupt earmarks in the surface transportation measure that is expected to receive a vote this week in the House,” Congressman Roy said in a written statement. “Instead of using federal taxpayer dollars to fund pet projects like electric vehicle charging networks in California and million-dollar sidewalk expansions in Connecticut, Congress should redirect these funds to address the ongoing and very real crisis at our southern border.”

Roy pointed out that only 771 miles of the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico Border are secured by primary and secondary physical barriers.

“Currently, primary and secondary barriers cover only 771 miles of our nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico, and the Rio Grande Valley sector – the busiest migrant crossing area – is wide open with only 76 miles of border wall to cover the river,” the San Antonio-area congressman added. “My amendment would strike every single earmark from this legislation and instead authorize a $5.7 billion Border Wall Fund in Treasury to support the completion of a border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

In Roy’s amendment to the INVEST in America Act, he proposed, “Obligation authority made available under this paragraph shall remain available until September 30, 2025; and be in addition to the amount of any limitation imposed on obligations for Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for fiscal year 2022 under section 102 or future fiscal years under any other provision of law.”

“There is established a fund in the Treasury to be known as the ‘Border Wall Fund,’” the amendment continues. “Funds provided into the Border Wall Fund may be used for the sole purpose of completing a border wall on the United States Mexico border.”

Congressman Roy’s amendment would strip out the $5.7 billion in congressional earmarks proposed by Democrats and move those funds to the creation of the border wall fund.

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden canceled border wall projects proposed and funded during the Trump administration, Breitbart Texas reported in January. The action taken by the new president killed 5,000 construction jobs, former CBP Acting-Commissioner Mark Morgan said in an exclusive interview.

Breitbart’s Randy Clark, a retired 32-year Border Patrol agent, reported the cost to U.S. taxpayers of Biden’s cancellation of border wall projects is about $6 million per day, according to a confidential source in U.S. Customs and Border Protection.