In an attempt to quicken the pace of building the southern border wall, the Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it is waiving federal contracting laws, National Review reported.
In making the move, the administration cited a 2005 law passed as an emergency spending bill for the Iraq and Afghan wars that permits the Department of Homeland Security secretary to waive regulations in border areas that have high levels of illegal crossings.
"Under the president's leadership, we are building more wall, faster than ever before," the DHS said in a statement.
The laws that are to be waived require open competition for contracts, for the government to justify its choice of contractors, and mandates that bonds be secured that protect the government from financial loss should the project not work out, according to Fox News.
Although the waiver procedure has been used before to bypass environmental impact reviews, this is the first time it has been utilized to get around federal procurement rules.
The sections of wall relevant to these waivers will be built in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
In order to press on with construction, President Donald Trump has also diverted money from the Pentagon to pay for building the wall, after the Democrat-led House did not include the funds in the federal budget.
On Friday, Rep Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, slammed this tactic, saying that "The wall should be funded, but the funding must come through the Department of Homeland Security rather than diverting critical military resources that are needed and in law."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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