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President Trump on Wednesday referred to ongoing efforts to build or replace gates along the southern border with Mexico, adding that he expects the project to be completed in key areas. from here the end of next year.
Addressing reporters from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said the construction was proceeding "quickly" and that he was expecting "nearly 500 miles of wall" to be "almost completed." if not complete by the end of next year ", especially" just after the election. "
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZES EXPENDITURES OF $ 3.6 BILLION TO BUILD 175 MILES OF WALLS AT THE FRONTIER
"We are building different sections simultaneously," said Trump, stating that by the end of 2020, walls will be built to "take over all the areas we wanted," as well as "some of the marginal areas" that were built. of a lower priority.
Different forms of barriers have already existed on 654 miles – about a third – of the border.
The administration has awarded contracts worth $ 2.8 billion for the construction of barriers covering 247 miles, of which 17 miles only replace existing barriers instead of expanding coverage.
The president's statements come shortly after Pentagon officials told Fox News that Defense Secretary Mark Esper had announced the signing of $ 3.6 billion in construction funds by the Ministry of Defense for construction. from a wall to the border.
The president made reference to the Supreme Court ruling last August, which allowed the government to use about $ 2.5 billion, as funding was frozen by lower courts during the trial.
A border patrol releases a drone in the construction of a new system of walls
Trump ordered that $ 155 million of FEMA disaster relief be diverted to border facilities. When asked if he was still comfortable with this decision given the continued presence of Hurricane Dorian, Trump pointed out that the storm had not reached the point. At present not required the level of action predicted by the administration.
"We use a lot less than we expected," Trump said, as officials initially expected Dorian to hit Florida harder than expected.
FEMA Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor said Sunday, approaching Dorian, that her agency was well prepared to face the challenges posed by the storm, despite the diversion of funds to the border.
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"We have a lot of money and resources," Gaynor told Fox News Sunday, saying the loss of the money "does not affect our preparation for Dorian."
Lucas Tomlinson, Alex Pappas, Mike Emanuel and Fox News Associated Press contributed to this report.
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