Should the Feds Accept Private Donations to Build Trump’s Border Wall? (H.R. 5876)

What is H.R. 5876?

(Updated February 16, 2022)

This bill — known as the Border Wall Trust Fund Act — would authorize the Treasury Department to accept donations to a Border Wall Trust Fund to plan, design, construct, or maintain a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico international border. It would also require the Dept. of Homeland Security to build commemorative display at the wall, recognizing individuals who had donated to the Border Wall Trust Fund.

Argument in favor

While unconventional, this idea is not without precedent: the Washington Monument was built using private donations. Allowing private citizens to donate to the border wall may reduce the federal spending needed to build the wall, and could help get the wall get built faster thanks to additional funding sources.

Argument opposed

Crowdfunding for federal priorities has never been done before, and the idea of allowing private citizens to donate to such a partisan policy runs roughshod over the appropriations process. Moreover, there’s no way that private donations alone can raise the $20-25 billion or more needed to build the full wall.

Impact

Members of the public who want to donate to the southern border wall; southern border states; the Treasury Department; and the Department of Homeland Security.

Cost of H.R. 5876

A CBO cost estimate for this bill is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) introduced this bill to create an account at the U.S. Treasury dedicated to holding public donations for the completion of the wall along the United States’ southern border:

"While Democrats block commonsense border security and put illegal immigrants before our families, we are going to put America first. Real immigration reform cannot be achieved without a secure border – President Trump has been clear about this since day one. The most important job of the federal government is the safety and security of the American people, and if citizens in our country wish to contribute to this effort, they absolutely should be given the opportunity. Americans know that President Trump is committed to protecting our nation for future generations, and we are ready to stand with him to build the wall.”

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the labor union for Border Patrol agents, sees the wall as a sensible solution to border security:

“Whether we call it a fence or call it a wall, it acts as the exact same thing — a physical barrier that makes it more difficult to enter the United States illegally. I don't understand the whole fight over this.”

While there is no opposition to specific this bill on the record, Democrats have been largely unified in their opposition to Trump’s border wall, which they view as xenophobic and a waste of taxpayer money. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), in a letter to her colleagues in early 2018, called the border wall an issue on which her caucus “must all speak out.”

There are 10 cosponsors of this bill, all of whom are Republicans.

Of Note: The trust fund concept mirrors how the federal government raised money to construct the Washington Monument, which relied on private donations and which has plaques noting organizations that donated to its construction.

At present, President Trump’s border wall is projected to cost $25 billion or more.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) Press Release