WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced legislation requiring unused COVID-19 funds to be used to finish building the wall along the southern border.

“The Biden administration foolishly halted the progress on the border wall begun under President Trump, leaving states and local communities to deal with the resulting crisis. A completed border wall would have prevented the disastrous flood of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and criminal activity every state has experienced over the last four years,” said Risch. “The Build the Wall Act is a commonsense approach to securing our southern border, restoring order to our immigration system, and enhancing our national security.”

“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,” said Barrasso. “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.”

The Build the Wall Act would establish the “Southern Border Wall Construction Fund” and require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 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. 

Cosponsors of this legislation include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas).

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