Sponsors (11)
The bill redirects unused COVID relief funds into a centralized Treasury account to build a southern border barrier—potentially improving border security and lowering enforcement costs but at the cost of reduced local recovery funding and increased civil liberties and political controversy.
Taxpayers and federal border operations: unused COVID relief funds would be redirected to build and maintain a southern border barrier, which could lower future border enforcement costs.
Border communities: funding physical barriers and their upkeep may increase local perceptions of safety and reduce local security concerns.
Federal and state governments: creates a dedicated Treasury account to centralize funding and oversight for border barrier construction and maintenance.
State and local governments and low-income communities: repurposes unobligated COVID State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, reducing available money for health, housing, infrastructure, and local recovery programs.
Immigrants and border communities: expanding physical barriers may restrict cross-border movement and make it harder to seek asylum, raising civil liberties and access-to-services concerns.
Taxpayers and public trust: reallocating pandemic relief dollars to a different purpose risks political and fiscal controversy and could undermine confidence in federal relief spending.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Redirects all unobligated Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds into a new Treasury account for DHS to build and maintain physical barriers on the U.S. southern border.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Jefferson Shreve · Last progress January 28, 2025
Creates a new Treasury account called the Southern Border Wall Construction Fund and requires that all unobligated amounts remaining in the federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds be transferred into that account immediately. Directs the Department of Homeland Security to use the money in the account to construct and maintain physical barriers along the U.S. southern international border.