What Happens to Trump’s Border Wall Construction During Government Shutdown?

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Construction of President Donald Trump’s southern border wall is moving full-speed ahead during the government shutdown.

Though 40% of the federal workforce is on unpaid leave due to the government shutdown, border wall construction isn’t taking a break.

“Even during a government shutdown, the work to strengthen our defenses moves forward,” a Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson told The Daily Signal. “Border wall construction continues at full speed, because securing America’s border is nonnegotiable.”

The shutdown went into effect Wednesday after 43 Senate Democrats voted against the Republicans’ continuing resolution to keep the government funded for several more weeks while Congress hammers out a more permanent spending consensus. 

Democrats are demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of 2025. Republicans say Senate Democrats are trying to put controversial “extraneous issues” in the stopgap funding bill, such as public benefits for illegal immigrants.

As a result, essential law enforcement officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and other Border Patrol personnel are doing their jobs unpaid. However, they will get paid retroactively when the shutdown ends.

“Thanks to the Democrats’ refusal to put security first, while miles of new wall are built, CBP agents and officers remain on duty—unpaid, but unshaken in their resolve to protect the American people, proving once again that mission comes before politics,” the spokesperson said.

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided more than $46 billion to enhance and modernize the border wall.

CBP has awarded contracts using that funding to update existing border wall and add detection technology, such as more lighting, roads, and cameras to areas with previously contracted wall. Plus, five new surveillance towers are being installed in the Del Rio Sector in Texas to help combat smuggling operations.

“With President Trump’s ‘One, Big Beautiful Bill,’ America is getting the strongest border security in its history,” the CBP spokesperson said. “CBP will always put the safety of Americans first.”