"I think the total spending is $ 347 million on that, but we have not done the math yet," Mulvaney stated.
Mulvaney explained that it would be more expensive to execute the project in certain places. However, the administration's plan to put up the replacement would save the federal money because the infrastructure for the construction is already in place.
The White House believes that it would be unproductive to conduct any conversations on the immigration reform before the wall is built, Mulvaney added.
The 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act contains $1.5 billion for border security, which would be used for things that will have a material impact on border security besides a brick-and-mortar wall, according to Mulvaney.
Funding for the wall is expected to be part of Trump's budget request for fiscal year 2018, which will be unveiled later this month.
