Border Wall Progress Paused Until Kristi Noem Finds Time to Sign Papers

KEY POINTS

•Contracts for about 200 miles of border wall await Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's signature as of late January 2026.
•Since January 2025, only 30 miles out of a planned 2,000 have been completed, despite $12 billion of spending from Congress.
•Noem’s sign-off delays also impacted FEMA funds and involved unusually swift fixes after donor calls, raising frustration among lawmakers.

As of late January 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who moonlights as the Contract Signing Wizard at DHS, has yet to finish the sacred ritual of signing off on about 200 miles worth of border wall construction contracts awarded under the $46.5 billion 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Despite Congress showering DHS with $12 billion already spent and promises of 412 new miles of 'Smart Wall' and 400 miles of tech gizmos, only 30 miles poke out since Trump’s 2025 comeback tour. Insider sources say contracts just landed on Noem’s desk with intense review layers involving deputies and secretaries, while her press conference in Nogales looms, promising a 'major update.' Meanwhile, critics grumble about slow approvals, shady donor-speeded pier repairs in Naples, Florida, and Corey Lewandowski unofficially running shop like a DHS CCO—Chief Contracting Overlord. Takeoff cleared? Not until the land swaps happen—a classic real estate soap opera on the Mexican border.