The Trump administration failed to properly assess how best to deploy various prototypes for President Trump’s much-discussed southern border wall, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Monday.
The watchdog chided U.S. Customs and Border Protection — an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that has been tasked with constructing Trump’s wall — for not conducting individual cost analyses for each location or segment along the border. This is because costs may fluctuate depending on “topography, land ownership, and other factors,” the report states.
“Without assessing costs, consistent with legal practices for capital decision making, CBP does not have complete information for prioritizing locations to use its resources in the most cost-effective manner,” GAO wrote.
In addition, “GAO found that one of the two approved segments, DHS has not documented its plans as required,” the report continues. “For the San Diego secondary barrier segment, CBP’s plans have not yet been documented,” which could hinder DHS’ monitoring abilities.
CBP, however, pushed back on GAO’s findings, arguing in a July 17 letter to the watchdog that the agency believed it was complying with DHS’ acquisition policy.
“It is misleading and inaccurate for GAO to say that progress is not being documented or to imply that progress is not being tracked,” wrote Jim Crumpacker, director of DHS’ GAO-Office of the Inspector General Liaison Office.
Crumpacker added that the agency was following established procedures in evaluating costs, budget, and financial impact of border segments, regardless of GAO suggesting it did not adhere to these processes when determining which barrier locations to build first.
“Despite an aggressive schedule and intense pressure to quickly yield results, we are committed to following sound acquisition practices and are focused on deliberative analysis to support our plans with appropriate governance and oversight while protecting the taxpayer’s investment and ensuring the best possible solutions are implemented in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost,” Crumpacker wrote.
Funding for the border wall is expected to provoke a fiscal fight on Capitol Hill after the 2018 midterm elections. The Senate in July floated $1.6 billion for the project, apparently ignoring a House bill with $5 billion be spent helping Trump to fulfill his campaign promise of the wall.
