Barrasso bill would finish border wall with COVID funds

CHEYENNE (WNE) — U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on Thursday introduced legislation requiring unobligated COVID-19 funds to be used to finish building the wall along the U.S. southern border with Mexico.

“Before the Biden administration’s disastrous border policies, we were well on our way to a secure and safe southern border. Now, every state is a border state, and dangerous criminals and cartels are entering our communities,” Barrasso said. “This bill will allow us to use money we already have to finish the wall and protect our national security. Border walls work. Securing the border is a top priority for Senate Republicans and President Trump.”

If passed, the Build the Wall Act would establish the “Southern Border Wall Construction Fund” and require the Department of Homeland Security to use any unobligated Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to construct and maintain physical barriers along the southern border of the United States.

Co-sponsors of this legislation include U.S. Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Jim Risch, R-Idaho; James Lankford, R-Okla.; and Roger Marshall, R-Kan.

This story was published on January 10, 2025.