"Contracts for about 200 miles of border wall barriers had been awarded and were awaiting Noem's signature as of last Tuesday, according to an update memo on border wall construction obtained by Axios. A senior DHS official confirmed on Tuesday that the contracts have yet to be signed, saying they're going through the review process at headquarters and are not yet at Noem's desk. Zoom in: The memo listed three contracts for building in Texas that needed"S1 approval," referring to Noem. But the DHS official said that two of these contracts only just made it to HQ on Tuesday morning."
""There's some advisors in up front that will go through, from her deputy chiefs of staff or whatever," said the DHS official, who was granted anonymity to candidly discuss the operations of DHS. Once a contract is sent to DHS for approval, it first goes to an office specifically to oversee "Big Beautiful Bill" spending, then to the executive secretary and finally to the secretary for her approval, the DHS official said. "There are currently no border wall related contracts pending the Secretary and just last year the Secretary reviewed over a thousand contracts related to border security," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement."
"Between the lines: Noem can sign off on these contracts at her discretion, but the official said it typically happens within 24 hours of them reaching her office. At times, she signs stacks of contracts and memos in one sitting. Noem is holding a press conference in Nogales, Arizona on Wednesday to announce "a major border wall update." The big picture: There were about 720 miles of primary and secondary border wall already in place when Trump took office last year. DHS announced the first border wall contracts in October and December of 2025, totaling about $8 billion, using the $46.5 billion allocated by Congress last July in the "Big Beautiful Bill.""
About 200 miles of border wall contracts have been awarded but remain unsigned as they undergo review at DHS headquarters before reaching Secretary Noem. Two Texas contracts only recently arrived at headquarters and require S1 approval. The DHS approval pathway routes contracts through a dedicated "Big Beautiful Bill" oversight office, the executive secretary, and then to the secretary. DHS states there are currently no border-wall contracts pending the Secretary and notes recent high-volume contract reviews. Noem can sign contracts at her discretion, often within 24 hours, and will announce a border wall update in Nogales, Arizona. Congress allocated $46.5 billion for border construction, and initial contract awards totaled about $8 billion in late 2025, with roughly 720 miles of primary and secondary wall already in place when Trump took office.
Read at Axios
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