Stopping construction of the border wall would waste 'billions of dollars' says CBP's Mark Morgan

Halting the building of the U.S. border wall would waste "billions of dollars" in funds already earmarked in contracts to construct hundreds of additional miles of the wall, Mark Morgan, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), reportedly said on Monday.

According to the Washington Times, Morgan explained that due to cancel clauses in contracts, the government would be spending money but not receiving anything to show in return for the outlays.

The outlet reported that according to Morgan, ceasing to build the wall would mean that the hundreds of thousands of tons of steel already obtained would need to be dealt with by having it either stored or dumped. In addition, CBP could face expenses for restoration projects like filling in trenches that have already been created -- costs that will depend on how the ending of the wall construction occurs.  

While some 430 miles been constructed under President Trump's tenure, the number will rise to approximately to 450 miles by the year's end, according to Morgan.

The Trump administration has found funding for almost 300 additional miles, but that undertaking is at stake during a transition to another team, Morgan noted, according to the outlet.