Sponsors (6)
The bill repurposes remaining unobligated ARPA state/local relief funds to accelerate and centralize federal funding for southern border barrier construction—trading faster, more centralized border infrastructure for reduced local control over pandemic-relief funds, fiscal costs to taxpayers, community impacts at the border, and potential legal/oversight disputes.
DHS and federal border-security efforts gain a dedicated source of funding, enabling faster construction and maintenance of southern border physical barriers (accelerates project completion and continuity).
State and local governments are relieved of managing remaining unobligated ARPA state/local relief balances for this purpose, because those balances are consolidated and repurposed at the federal level (reduces local reprogramming burdens).
Centralizing funds for barrier projects may improve federal planning, procurement continuity, and project oversight compared with many small, disparate local reuses of unobligated relief dollars.
State and local governments lose access to unobligated ARPA relief dollars that could have funded public health, education, infrastructure, or other local recovery priorities.
Taxpayers indirectly bear the financial cost of border wall construction and ongoing maintenance after COVID-relief dollars are repurposed, reducing funds available for pandemic-recovery purposes or other priorities.
Residents of border communities, cross-border workers, and immigrants may face increased physical barriers and altered cross-border access, producing local economic, social, and safety impacts.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Redirects unobligated federal COVID relief (SLFRF) balances into a new Treasury fund that DHS can use to build and maintain physical barriers on the southern border.
Creates a new Treasury account called the Southern Border Wall Construction Fund and directs that all unobligated amounts from federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) be immediately transferred into it. The Department of Homeland Security may use money in that fund to build and maintain physical barriers along the U.S. southern border.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by John A. Barrasso · Last progress January 9, 2025