Records show Trump’s border wall is costing taxpayers billions more than initial contracts

Antonio Current (Texas) ^ | Oct 28, 2020 | Perla Trevizo and Jeremy Schwartz (ProPublica)

[BeauBo]

A ProPublica/Texas Tribune review of federal spending data shows more than 200 contract modifications, at times awarded within just weeks or months after the original contracts, have increased the cost of the border wall project by billions of dollars since late 2017. This is particularly true this year, in the run-up to next week’s election. The cost of supplemental agreements and change orders alone — at least $2.9 billion — represents about a quarter of all the money awarded and more than what Congress originally appropriated for wall construction in each of the last three years.

[BeauBo]

This is the latest leftist attack on the wall and the President - election talking points.

They make it sound like there have been huge cost overruns - corruption, inefficiency and circumventing contract competition requirements.

The reality is that the use of contract modifications has been a deliberate strategy, to both save time and costs.

These modifications have overwhelmingly been to simply add more miles, to the contractors who were already on site building.

Contracts were awarded in 2019, and when the 2020 money came in, they just modified those contracts, to have them keep going further. That not only avoids the shut down and start up delays and costs to change out contractors in an area - it also reduces the contracting lead times and risks to the program (such as legal protests against new awards).

Another factor with the 2020 money that was contracted through modifications, is that the earlier contracts covered more of the flat runs alongside existing roads, whereas the new modifications include more of the steep terrain, and places where extensive new road building is required as well.

Preparing new basing areas for Border Patrol on the commanding terrain in rural Arizona - much more blasting and heavy earth moving is required, than simple trenching for bollards. It is really a different kind of job.

[central_va]

Don’t care. WORTH EVERY PENNY.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

I don’t care how much it costs. Build the damn thing.

[V_TWIN]

I think if this were true the liberal media would be screaming about it 24/7

[gibsonguy]

What the a-holes do not know is we don’t care if it costs more.

[rktman]

Capitalism at work.

[rktman]

Anybody calculate the cost of the Great Wall of China?

[drypowder]

The wall still costs billions less than having our tax money going to support several million illegal aliens already in and those who were interning our country. Good job Mr President!

[lizma2]

Cheaper than free health care for illegals.

[euram]

I’m sure providing for millions of illegals is much cheaper.

[LeonardFMason]

If ProPublica is involved it is a LIE.

[Iscool]

I don’t care...It will still save hundreds of billions it costs us for the illegals...

[libh8er]

Yes, but it just means Mexico will see a larger bill.

[Skywise]

If this were true they would’ve released it as a talking point for the debates.

[SaxxonWoods]

A buy at twice the price.

Show me some govt contracts that have come in under budget.

[KobraKai]

Even at $500 Billion, it’s a steal!

[Seruzawa]

[NohSpinZone]

It always cracks me up when libs pretend to be concerned about costs when they are willing to spend trillions of dollars to “combat” an imaginary problem like man-made global warming.

[airborne]

So its like every government contracted tank, jet, ship, etcetera ever made.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Beats the cost of wellfare