Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Ranking Member on the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, today issued the following statement regarding reports of an internal DHS cost estimate of $21.6 billion to construct a 2,000 mile wall on the southern border:
"$21.6 billion would be enough money to extend the Pell program year-round, benefiting career-focused students in accelerating their degree completion and getting on the job, with enough left over to train 2 million Americans for careers in high skill industries. It would be enough for a massive infusion to protect public and private cyber networks from malicious attacks, and help local law enforcement agencies keep communities safe.
"Spending this amount of money on a border wall that has not undergone exhaustive review and analysis would be a tragic misallocation of resources and a clear example of the majority's misplaced priorities."
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
