A North Dakota company received a $400 million border wall contract after President Trump advocated for the firm.
Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. will build 31 miles of border barrier along the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma County, Ariz., according to a Defense Department statement. The deadline for its completion is Dec. 30, 2020.
{mosads}The president has pushed for the North Dakota firm to win the contract from the Army Corps of Engineers but had been told Fisher’s bids did not match the required standards, according to the Washington Post. The company’s CEO Tommy Fisher has appeared on Fox News to tout his firm’s potential to build the border wall quickly.
Fisher Industries said in a statement that it is looking forward to working on the project.
“We are excited to show our high quality work and this project gives us an opportunity to demonstrate the caliber of work our team has delivered to our customers for six decades, while helping to secure our southern border,” the company said.
“I am glad to see more progress being made to secure the southern border, and I am grateful to see a good North Dakota company like Fisher Industries getting some of the work,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Fisher supporter, said in a statement. “I know they will do very well, performing high quality work at a good bargain, all for the security of the people of the United States.”
Trump needs to get 450 to 500 miles of border wall done by next year to fulfill his campaign promise, according to The Post. So far, the administration has put up 85 miles of barrier, most of which replaced previous barriers.
Fisher Sand and Gravel was hired by the activist group We Build the Wall to build a barrier outside of El Paso and plans to erect 3.5 miles of fencing along the Rio Grande. The project has yet to be approved by the International Boundary Water Commission, according to The Post.
–This report was updated on Dec. 3 at 2:09 p.m.