The U.S. Government awarded over $10 million dollars over the last 90 days to various fencing and fence security projects unrelated to securing the U.S. southern border with Mexico.
According to the Federal Business Opportunities website, two projects account for the majority of the awards. A budget (not to exceed) $5,000,000 was awarded to multiple companies by the Dept. of Agriculture for rangeland fencing for the Coronado National Forest in Arizona. Also awarded was a $4,034,000 perimeter fence project for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Virginia.
Assuming the Coronado National Forest project for rangeland fencing meets its $5 million dollar limit, that project, combined with the Veterans Affairs project and 19 other fencing related projects awarded in the last 90 days would come to a total of $10,221,364.
Those 19 other projects include, $75,216 for fence materials for the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, $70,715 in security fence maintenance at Fort Peck, and $121,816 for a fence perimeter detection system for the Bureau of Prisons.
Meanwhile, funding for President Donald Trump's border wall continues to be a struggle.
In nearly half of the 12 annual appropriations bills House Democrats have recently pushed through committee, they have included specific language blocking wall-related emergency powers, limiting the use of flexible funds and refusing to restore funds to accounts that could be used to build the barrier.