Yes. He absolutely did. When running for president, Biden declared the following: “There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration, No. 1." When asked about the taking of private and public land needed to build the wall, he added unequivocally: “End. Stop. Done. Over. Not going to do it. Withdraw the lawsuits. We're out. We're not going to confiscate the land."
Absolutely. As president, Biden has the authority to immediately stop wall construction through an Executive Order. He is planning on issuing many of these on his first day in office, and the wall must be included. Every day that goes by, more wall gets put in place, which will make it harder for him to fulfill his promise. He does not need to figure out all the details, but can immediately place a 6 month moratorium on construction while he puts the entire project under review.
Yes and No. We are highly encouraged that Joe Biden's Day 1 Presidential Proclamation ordered all wall construction along the border to pause. This is a an important a huge win for border communities who have been fighting to stop the wall for years. However, it is just a first step. The pause lasts only for 60 days, after which construction may resume. We are urging President Bide to take the next steps to stop the wall for good: 1. Cancel All Contracts. 2. Stop Taking Land. 3. Heal The Harm.
The government has the right to cancel any contract at any time, called termination for convenience. This applies especially if there is reason to believe the contracts were improperly awarded, as is suspected with the wall. Most of the money has gone to crony friends of Trump in contracts that have been kept secret. A contract can also be terminated if the government no longer believes the project is needed. While there may be penalties assessed, but they are negligible when compared to the cost of continuing the wall.
Thank you, Joe Biden, for making the wall a priority and halting it on day 1. However, the pause lasts for only 60 days. Now we must end this destructive and wasteful project once and for all. First, we must CANCEL THE CONTRACTS. The contracts are nothing more than a cash grab for Trump's corrupt cronies and should be investigated for legal improprieties. We will save US Taxpayers billions by cancelling them. The sooner they are cancelled, the more will be saved. Second, we must STOP TAKING LAND. All eminent domain cases must cease and in many cases, land taken must be returned. Third, we must HEAL THE HARM. The damage done to communities and ecosystems is immense, and the government must invest in restoring and repairing the harm done.
Huge savings. No matter how you add it up, US Taxpayers would save billions of dollars if the wall is cancelled. Not millions. Billions. Even The Pentagon agrees. The cost of the wall was originally estimated at $15 billion, and if it is allowed to be completed – with cost overruns and ongoing maintenance – the real costs are expected to be two to three times that much, making the most expensive public works project in US history. The sooner it is cancelled, the more money will be saved, which can be spent on other urgent priorities, like Covid-19 response or economic relief.
US communities along the US/Mexico border are actually among the safest in the United States. Look it up. The idea that the border is a violent and chaotic place is false, a racist caricature that unfortunately, is often perpetuated by politicians.
Like all Americans, people who live on the border deserve to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, rather than having a wall being imposed on them. Meanwhile, the border is an underserved region. Billions would be wasted on the wall, yet the border receives less money for education, housing, health care and transitioning to a renewable future. It’s time for a different vision for the border that serves the needs of those who live there. It’s time we defund the wall, and fund our future.
Actually, no. Trump's wall is a symbolic monument, not an actual security solution. The Department of Homeland Security's own Inspector General issued a scathing report that the wall is not justified. What the wall does do is distract us from real threats. As we have seen with the attack on our nation's capital, the threat to our national security is coming from inside the country, not outside of it.
