“A pause is welcome, but it does not answer the fundamental question of why billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on these projects in the first place,” said Tim Whitehouse, Executive Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) in a statement. “When politically connected contractors receive enormous government contracts for projects of questionable need while normal environmental and oversight safeguards are waived, the public deserves answers.”
PEER is actively pursuing an investigation into how exactly the Big Bend border contracts were awarded—and if they were awarded fairly.
“Border development in and around Big Bend National Park should not become a blank check for politically connected contractors,” Whitehouse added. “Before another dollar is spent or another acre is disturbed, the administration should explain why taxpayers are paying billions to stop illegal immigration in one of America’s least crossed, most unique landscapes.”