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Biden admin auctions off unused border wall parts; media coverage mixed

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Construction materials meant to build former President Donald Trump’s border wall have sat untouched for years since President Joe Biden came into office. According to Republicans, that’s $300 million worth of taxpayer-funded wall parts thrown to the wayside — until now.

Just as Congress began to move on a bill that would have used the materials to continue border wall construction, the Biden administration has been auctioning off these pieces for pennies on the dollar, according to the New York Post.

The Post reported that online auction house GovPlanet has sold 81 lots of steel “square structural tubes” since April for about $2 million.

At press time, mainstream media outlets like CNN, ABC and NBC have not given this story much attention. According to the Straight Arrow News Media Miss™ tool, this story is a Media Miss for the left. The Media Landscape indicates that while right-leaning outlets are covering this story, fewer left-leaning outlets are reporting on the topic.

Not only is the coverage of the story unbalanced–so are the headlines. Take for example this headline from the left-leaning outlet Raw Story: “Conservatives lose it as Biden admin sells off Trump’s border wall materials.”

It’s not only left-leaning outlets with a focus on Republican outrage over the auction itself. Newsweek, which Ground.News classifies as an outlet without significant partisan leaning in its news reporting, titled its report, “Republicans furious as Biden sells unused Trump border wall for millions.”

While Republicans are largely upset over the auctioning of border materials, the Democratic-majority Senate passed a bill with bipartisan support to put those construction materials to use as part of its version of the annual defense appropriations package.

The Finish It Act would make the federal government use the materials on new wall construction or hand it over to border states for their use.

But before the House has been able to pass its version of the bill, the White House started selling off the pieces. A Department of Defense spokesperson says more than half the materials have already been auctioned off and more auctions are planned to happen later this week.

Meanwhile, the number of border crossings is increasing again. Illegal crossings jumped by more than 30% month over month.

Legal processing of migrants hit a record high last month. The U.S. allowed more than 50,000 migrants to enter at ports of entry in July.

Straight Arrow News strives to provide unbiased, fact-based news in addition to offering a comprehensive look at how the media is covering stories that matter most. Learn more about the Media Miss™ tool and decide for yourself.

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THE IMAGES ON YOUR SCREEN ARE OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS MEANT TO BUILD FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BORDER WALL THAT HAVE SAT UNTOUCHED FOR YEARS – EVER SINCE PRESIDENT BIDEN CAME INTO OFFICE.

ACCORDING TO REPUBLICANS – 300 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF TAXPAYER FUNDED WALL COMPONENTS – THROWN TO THE WAYSIDE.

UNTIL NOW.

JUST AS CONGRESS BEGAN TO MOVE ON A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE USED THE MATERIALS TO CONTINUE BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION  –

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN AUCTIONING OFF THE PIECES —

FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK POST.

SINCE YOU’RE WATCHING S-A-N RIGHT NOW –

YOU’LL GET TO HEAR THE DETAILS BEHIND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S DECISION TO SELL OFF UNUSED BORDER WALL MATERIALS –

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE BY THIS GRAPHIC – THIS STORY ISN’T GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION FROM OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS.

YOUR MAINSTREAM CHANNELS LIKE CNN, ABC, NBC – ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIAL AUCTIONS.

THE MEDIA OUTLETS THAT ARE REPORTING IT – ARE LARGELY RIGHT-LEANING NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.

WE CALL THIS A “MEDIA MISS” WHEN THERE’S NOT A FAIR BALANCE OF COVERAGE TO A STORY.

NOT ONLY IS THE COVERAGE OF THE STORY UNBALANCED –

SO ARE THE HEADLINES.

THIS HEADLINE FROM LEFT-LEANING OUTLET “RAW STORY” STATES –

“CONSERVATIVES LOSE IT AS BIDEN ADMIN SELLS OFF TRUMP’S BORDER WALL MATERIALS.”

IT’S NOT ONLY LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS WITH A FOCUS ON REPUBLICAN OUTRAGE OVER THE AUCTION ITSELF.

THIS HEADLINE FROM NEWSWEEK –

 WHICH IS AN OUTLET RATED TO BE IN THE CENTER – SAYS “REPUBLICANS FURIOUS AS BIDEN SELLS UNUSED TRUMP BORDER WALL FOR MILLIONS”.

WHILE REPUBLICANS ARE LARGELY UPSET OVER THE CHEAP AUCTIONING OFF OF BORDER MATERIALS – 

THE SENATE – WITH A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY – PASSED A BILL WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT TO PUT THOSE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS TO USE.

{CONSTRUCTION WALL VO 2}

INSTEAD – THE WHITE HOUSE IS GETTING RID OF IT –  ONE PALLET OF MATERIALS AT A TIME.

CASHING IN ON WHAT THEY CAN – EVEN IF A FRACTION OF THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL-COST.

THE BILL CALLED “THE FINISH IT ACT” WOULD MAKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT USE THE MATERIALS ON NEW WALL CONSTRUCTION – OR HAND IT OVER TO BORDER-STATES FOR THEIR USE.

BUT BEFORE THE HOUSE HAS BEEN ABLE TO PASS THEIR VERSION OF THE BILL –

THE WHITE HOUSE IS SELLING OFF THE PIECES –

ACCORDING TO A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SPOKESPERSON – MORE THAN HALF THE MATERIALS HAVE ALREADY BEEN AUCTIONED OFF – AND MORE AUCTIONS ARE PLANNED TO HAPPEN LATER THIS WEEK.

MEANWHILE – BORDER CROSSINGS ARE BACK UP.

ILLEGAL CROSSINGS JUMPED BY MORE THAN 30 PERCENT MONTH OVER MONTH.

**LEGAL PROCESSING OF MIGRANTS – HIT A RECORD HIGH LAST MONTH.

THE U.S. ALLOWED IN MORE THAN 50 THOUSAND MIGRANTS AT PORTS OF ENTRY IN JULY.