An expensive, useless wall: Cost estimates for Trump's border boondoggle run higher than promised

[inanna]

Friday, Feb 10, 2017 03:25 PM EST

Trump's unpopular border wall will cost upwards of $20 billion, will be a political and bureaucratic nightmare

President Donald Trump campaigned on a pledge to build a nation-securing barrier along the southern border to protect the country from undocumented immigrants, and he insisted that Mexico would be forced to foot the bill. After winning election, Trump changed his position: U.S. taxpayers would pay up front for the wall, and Mexico would reimburse us (somehow) on the back end.

But don’t worry, “the wall” would be cheap. Trump said building the wall wouldn’t cost all that much money — $8 or $12 billion, tops — because no one is better at building than Donald Trump.

One of the first things Trump did as president was sign an executive action directing the secretary of homeland security to “take all appropriate steps to immediately plan, design, and construct a physical wall along the southern border.” Shortly afterward, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that Congress would appropriate funds to build Trump’s wall, which he guessed would cost $12 to $15 billion.

The Department of Homeland Security got busy with the planning phase of Trump’s wall and — surprise, surprise — the project is already looking like it will be far more expensive and difficult than was conveyed by Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric. As Reuters reported this week, a preliminary DHS report found that the wall could cost as much as $21.6 billion and will face a whole slew of bureaucratic, environmental and foreign policy hurdles before it can be completed.

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http://www.salon.com/2017/02/10/an-expensive-useless-wall-cost-estimates-for-trumps-border-boondoggle-run-higher-than-promised/

[manicraven]

1. Wonder if the Trumpsters are willing to trade their Social Security & Medicare to pay for the wall?

It's coming... the GOP will be "forced" (gleefully) to make cuts because there's not enough budget after building this stupid wall when immigration is dropping off (40-year low).

[HassleCat]

2. Even some of the right wing web sites are questioning the wall.

Everybody realizes the cost will be astronomical. Conservatives have a natural aversion to spending taxpayer money on anything except the military, so this is rubbing some of them the wrong way. Of course, the wall could inhibit trade, slow down business, and make casual labor much more expensive, so they have several reasons not to like it.

[matt819]

3. Taking bets

that nothing will be built.

IMHO even that 21.6 billion dollars is low. And it will take probably in the tens of millions and the better part of next four years to do the design work. And that's to say nothing of the opposition, almost certainly by his supporters along the border. White farmers and ranchers who depend on things the way there are now - access, water access, etc. Sure, it may suck that some illegals are crossing the border, but not as much as it will suck when they are personally affected.

As for congress, so far the naz. . .er. . . republicans have voted straight party line. But when they start losing federal money for roads or natural disasters, that idiotic wall will begin to look pretty damn stupid, which it always has been to those of us in the reality-based universe.

No wall will be built.

[murielm99]

4. Can you imagine the protests and vandalism to the wall,

if they ever start building it? Security alone would be a nightmare.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

5. I agree that these estimates are not probably nearly enough

I wonder if any of these estimates include the cost of acquiring the land and the cost of building roads that they will need to get the heavy equipment out there. And what about cost to protect the wall once it's built. I imagine it would be A target for IED type devices for a whole host of reasons. And still it wouldn't stop the tunnels private aircraft entries entry by fishing boats.what would stop him from going to Canada and then crossing there. It is just so impractical on so many levels