A Montana construction company led by a major donor to President Donald Trump has received billions of dollars in federal border wall contracts, including nearly $2 billion for projects in West Texas’ remote Big Bend region, according to original reporting by High Country News and Marfa Public Radio.
Barnard Construction Co., based in Bozeman, Montana, has been awarded more than $5.6 billion in federal border construction contracts since Trump returned to office, High Country News reported. Including earlier border wall awards, the company and its affiliates have received more than $7 billion in border wall contracts.
The company is led by chairman Tim Barnard, whose family has donated heavily to Republican candidates and causes. Federal Election Commission records reviewed by High Country News show Barnard and his wife have contributed more than $1 million to Trump’s presidential campaigns.
The contracts come as the Trump administration pushes to accelerate construction of the border wall. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act set aside $46.5 billion for the project, and the administration has waived federal contracting, environmental and cultural protection rules to speed up construction.
Customs and Border Protection has awarded more than $28 billion in border wall contracts to a small group of companies, according to the reporting. Barnard is among the largest recipients.
One of Barnard’s largest recent awards was a $1.6 billion contract to build 112.5 miles of secondary wall in eastern New Mexico. High Country News reported the contract was awarded without competitive bidding, with urgency listed as the reason in federal spending records.
The contracting process has drawn scrutiny from competitors and government watchdogs. In May, New York-based Posillico Civil Inc. sued the federal government, alleging CBP had directed most of the value of new Texas wall contracts to Barnard and Fisher Sand & Gravel, another company with a controversial history of border wall work.
Barnard and its affiliates also hold two major West Texas contracts worth nearly $2 billion for more than 100 miles of new 30-foot steel bollard wall through the Big Bend region.
The Big Bend is the largest Border Patrol sector along the U.S.-Mexico border, but it consistently records some of the fewest crossings. So far this fiscal year, the sector accounted for about 1.6% of southern border apprehensions, according to the reporting.
The region includes Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and border communities whose economies depend heavily on river tourism, open landscapes and public lands. Local opposition to the wall has been widespread and bipartisan, including from law enforcement officials.
In March, five county sheriffs in the region urged the federal government to reconsider the construction, warning that permanent infrastructure, lighting, access roads and maintenance corridors would dramatically alter one of the most remote and ecologically significant border landscapes in the country.
The Department of Homeland Security has waived dozens of environmental and cultural regulations for wall construction in the region. Hundreds of private landowners could also face eminent domain proceedings as the federal government moves forward.
Barnard also faced criticism from Jeff Davis County officials after subcontractors began clearing a county road leading toward the border without first coordinating with local leaders, according to Marfa Public Radio reporting cited by High Country News.
The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment from High Country News.
Barnard’s growing border wall portfolio has also prompted criticism in Montana. A Bozeman artist and river guide originally from El Paso organized a screening of the 2019 documentary The River and the Wall to draw attention to the company’s role in Texas border wall construction.
High Country News reported that some attendees later wrote postcards urging the Barnard family to reconsider the contracts.
The original reporting was published by High Country News, with West Texas reporting by Marfa Public Radio.
