Trump says border wall material shouldn’t be sold despite congressional requirement

President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that President Joe Biden should stop selling unused border wall material, calling it “almost a criminal act” - even though Congress required its disposal in bipartisan legislation last year.

Trump’s comments, during a freewheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, follow recent reports about the material being auctioned by the Defense Department that have generated Republican outrage on social media.

After Biden halted the construction of Trump’s wall, remaining material, including wall segments made of steel and concrete, was left at construction sites near the southern border for years, susceptible to the elements. The Pentagon has worked on disposing of supplies that have gone unused.

Border states and U.S. Customs and Border Protection requested and received most of the material, about 60 percent, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details about the department’s plans, while the rest was sold to GovPlanet, an online auction site.

After online outrage stirred by conservative influencers in recent days over the sales, Trump weighed in, suggesting that his incoming administration could use unused border wall materials being sold in the online auction. Trump has promised to resume building the wall once in office after he made that a major part of his campaign platform in his first bid for the presidency.

Trump also falsely claimed Monday that 571 miles of the wall were built during his administration. His administration built about 450 miles, according to the Government Accountability Office.

“They know we’re going to use it,” Trump said of the material. “And if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it. And it’ll cost double what it cost years ago.”

It is not clear what material is up for auction.

However, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a loyal Trump Republican, announced Friday that the material for sale was not usable after saying the day before on Fox News that he would be interested in buying the supplies. He said that if it made sense, Texas would have purchased the materials to give to Trump.

“The Texas Facilities Commission told us today that the material for sale was mostly junk, with most panels covered in concrete and rust,” Patrick posted on X.

Texas, which has opposed the Biden administration’s handling of immigration, has built some wall along its border using some materials provided by the federal government.

In March, the state’s Republican leaders won a legal challenge over the paused border wall construction, and the administration was ordered to resume construction using funds that were specifically allocated for that purpose before Biden became president.

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Isaac Arnsdorf and Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.