Abstract
President Trump has threatened that if he doesn’t receive funding for the “big and beautiful wall” listed in his fiscal year 2018 budget, he’ll shut down the government. The $1.6 billion requested from Congress (not Mexico) for construction in 2018 means the “big” wall has been cut down to around 75 miles of the 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexico border. However, the White House has declined to comment on exact mileage. Even for just 75 miles, construction costs are likely 50 percent more than the requested amount. Coupled with the construction budget request, the president asked for another $1 billion for more border patrol agents and technology for the next year. Assuming the wall would be maintained for 20 years, its lifecycle cost would reach $21.6 billion. For that price, what exactly are taxpayers buying? Do the benefits justify the costs that were requested (so far), and likely additional costs necessary to fulfill President Trump’s January 2017 executive order?