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A government auction company has agreed to return up to $350 million worth of unused US–Mexico border wall construction materials to the federal government.

Some shit you should know before you read: Back when President Biden was in office, his administration made the decision to halt construction on the US–Mexico border wall, a project initiated and funded during the Trump administration. As a result, hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unused construction materials (including steel panels and concrete) were left sitting in the desert. Instead of using the materials for their originally intended purpose, the administration designated them as surplus and transferred them to GovPlanet, a government surplus auction company. These materials were then listed for sale at a fraction of their original value, sparking intense political backlash. Critics, particularly from Republican leadership, condemned the move as wasteful and accused the administration of undermining national security by effectively discarding taxpayer-funded resources.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it had reached an agreement with GovPlanet to recover unused border wall construction materials that had previously been designated as surplus. This deal comes months after a January court ruling barred the Biden administration from selling off materials intended for the wall, mandating instead that they be used for their originally funded purpose. Under the agreement finalized on August 8, a third-party contractor will take possession of the materials over the next 90 days and begin redirecting them to active construction sites.

The materials, originally purchased during the Trump administration and valued between $260 million and $350 million, will now be used to resume wall construction in high-priority areas including parts of Texas, California, and Arizona. These regions have experienced continued challenges related to illegal crossings and cartel activity. GovPlanet stated it is returning the materials “at cost” to support ongoing federal border protection efforts and “to help protect the millions of dollars that US taxpayers had already invested in this initiative.”

Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised the move in a press release, tying it directly to the passage of the FINISH IT Act, which he led. “I was proud to lead the passage of the FINISH IT Act in the FY24 NDAA, which exposed the Biden administration’s decision to spend tens of millions of dollars to store southwest border wall construction materials, rather than using those materials to protect our country,” Wicker said. He added, “The FINISH IT Act halted these sales to ensure the remaining construction materials are available for their intended purpose—to secure the border and protect our country.”

Wicker also applauded GovPlanet for choosing to “put the American people first” by returning the materials so they “can finally be used to secure our border.”