Top Builders Decline to Submit Bid to Work on Shrinking US-Mexico Border Wall Eric Lutz - Mic | |
go to original April 5, 2017 |
Hispanic contractor Mario Burgos, who did not vote for President Donald Trump, says he has received criticism for submitting a bid to construct a Mexico border wall. (CNN)
President Donald Trump has long promised a "big, beautiful, powerful wall" on the United States-Mexico border — but will he find anyone willing to build it?
Bidding for the border wall closed on Tuesday with many of the largest engineering and construction firms declining to submit proposals, CNN reported, possibly forcing the administration to rely on smaller firms, which may not have the necessary resources to complete the massive project as efficiently.
"There are many hurdles associated with the wall, ranging from political ones to financing to the very real human aspect," an unnamed senior official at a construction firm told CNN. "There are also concerns about how working on the wall would affect a construction company's ability to work in other countries, given that the Trump plan has received a great deal of international criticism."
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, when the bidding deadline closed, only three of the top 20 contractors ranked by the trade publication Engineering News-Record had submitted proposals for Trump's border wall. The top three — Bechtel, Fluor Corp. and Turner Corp. — are not listed as interested vendors, according to CNN.
In addition to political concerns, companies interested in working on the wall face potential legal challenges, as well.
State lawmakers in New York and California have proposed measures barring companies involved in the construction of Trump's wall from doing business in those states. Additionally, the Trump administration will have to seize privately owned land to build the wall, which is expected to prompt years of costly lawsuits.
Still, at least 200 companies submitted proposals by Tuesday's deadline. From that pool, the administration is expected to choose between 4 and 10 companies to build prototypes; the finalists will be announced in June and will be expected to complete a prototype by July.
Read the rest at Mic
Related: Border Wall Bids Include Tourist Attraction, Solar Panels, Nuclear Waste (Associated Press)
Related: Homeland Security Secretary Doesn’t See Building a Solid Wall Along U.S.-Mexico Border (WSJ.com)
Related: Climate Change Will Make Trump’s Border Wall an Impossible Endeavor (Think Progress)
Related: The Number of People Trying to Cross the US-Mexico Border Illegally Has Hit a Historic Low (Associated Press)
Related: Despite Obstacles, 500 Contractors Seek to Build Impassable Mexican Border Wall (The Item)
Related: This Exhibit Uses Found Objects to Reveal the Human Cost of Border Crossings (Uproxx)
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