Story perspectives

Trump’s No-Bid Wall Project Diverts Rio Grande, Destroys Habitats

8/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump awarded no-bid contracts for a wall in Big Bend, Texas, diverting the Rio Grande and destroying habitats of black bears, Texas Big Horn sheep and mountain lions.
Center for Biological Diversity called dynamite blasting on Mariscal Mountain “the most heinous attack on an American national park.”
Expenditures exceed $16 million for Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and $600 million for a White House ballroom and underground bunker, shifting $352 million from Secret Service.

History

Historical Context

The Hoover Dam, built from 1931 to 1936 and dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 30 1935, showed how massive federal projects can reshape rivers and spark controversy. Today the Trump administration’s no-bid contracts for the Big Bend wall on the Rio Grande have drawn criticism from the Center for Biological Diversity, echoing the same federal-spending and environmental conflict.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump awarded no-bid contracts for a wall in Big Bend, Texas, diverting the Rio Grande and destroying habitats of black bears, Texas Big Horn sheep and mountain lions.
Center for Biological Diversity called dynamite blasting on Mariscal Mountain “the most heinous attack on an American national park.”
Expenditures exceed $16 million for Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and $600 million for a White House ballroom and underground bunker, shifting $352 million from Secret Service.

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