California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) is pushing back on President Trump’s recent claim that the U.S. military entered the state and “turned on the water” in the wake of devastating wildfires that left lasting damage in the southern part of the state.
“The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond,” Trump wrote in a late Monday Truth Social post. “The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!”
The CDWR shot down that claim and added that the federal government was responsible for restarting the water pumps after they were turned off for maintenance.
“The military did not enter California,” the department wrote in a post on social platform X, released an hour past midnight on Tuesday. “The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days.”
“State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful,” CDWR added.
The president has been critical of the state’s water policy in light of the Los Angeles area wildfires, which have burned over 57,000 acres and killed at least 28 people.
State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D) also denounced the president’s claim.
“First off, shocker, water from the Pacific Northwest doesn’t flow to the Central Valley,” McGuire wrote on X early Tuesday. “Second, federal water pumps were down for repair and are now back on. Third, rest assured, the military has not invaded the delta. Facts are hard.”
On Monday, Trump directed U.S. government agencies to “immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries.”
The order came as the president said last week before visiting the area that he would condition federal assistance to California on the release of more water from the northern part of the state and “Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote.”
“Firefighters were unable to fight the blaze due to dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure,” Trump’s order reads. “It is in the Nation’s interest to ensure that California has what it needs to prevent and fight these fires and others in the future.”
The president and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have also argued back-and-forth about the water issues. Newsom welcomed Trump to Los Angeles last week to survey the wildfire damage and suggested that the two could work together.
