Trump's aggressive pursuit of a massive wall along the 2,000-mile long Mexican border was no bluff, and U.S. Customs proved that Friday [Feb. 24] when it was announced that as early as April, it will begin awarding contracts for the "great wall".
According to the Government Accountability Office, it would cost on average $6.5 million a mile for a fence that secures the border from people on foot, and 1.8 to protect it from vehicles. The total cost of the project varies, with estimates ranging from 12 billion to 21 billion, which also differs depending on the height and the materials used for the wall. Trump suggests that the cost will be 12 billion; massive financial undertaking in which he plans to pay for with a 20% tariff on goods imported from Mexico.
Customs says that it will begin to receive bids from companies around March 6th. The companies will also have to submit concept papers to build prototypes of the wall by the 10th. By March 20th, the field will be narrowed down to select candidates, with March 24th being the deadline for finalists to submit their "offers" and proposed "costs".
With only 354 miles of pedestrian fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers thus far, do you think our priorities should be on building this wall? Let us know in the comments.
