Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is demanding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) provide details on the Trump administration’s decision to change the water level at Caesar Creek Lake in Ohio during a trip for Vice President J.D. Vance’s birthday earlier this month.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as well as the Army Corps and Secret Service leadership, Schiff highlights the potential inappropriate use of funds to alter water outflow levels of the lake for personal use and seeks information on the processes and documentation of the decision.
“Reporting suggests that the request from the Secret Service to alter the outflow request for Caesar Creek Lake was not just to ensure safe or secure conditions, but also to create favorable kayaking conditions. If true, this is an inappropriate and embarrassing abuse of power over publicly owned resources by the Trump administration,” Senator Schiff wrote. “Army Corps leadership improperly leveraged access to public services for personal use and waived standard documentation requirements to identify and justify risks associated with this deviation from normal practice. Accordingly, I request an explanation of this USACE action and a commitment to no longer using federal resources for such unjustified and frivolous purposes.”
Senator Schiff pointed to the President’s frivolous release of billions of gallons from California reservoirs earlier this year as another instance in which the Army Corps executed questionable abuses of water by the Trump administration. Schiff sought answers from the Army Corps on those releases in February.
In his letter, Schiff demands that the Army Corps commit to no longer fulfilling wasteful personal and political demands of administration leaders.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Dear Secretary Hegseth, Assistant Secretary Telle, and Director Curran,
I write to you to express serious concerns regarding the potential abuse of power exercised by Vice President Vance and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on August 2, in which the Secret Service directed USACE to change the outflow of Ohio’s Caesar Creek Lake for a recreational boat outing for the Vice President’s birthday. As a result of this request, Army Corps leadership improperly leveraged access to public services for personal use and waived standard documentation requirements to identify and justify risks associated with this deviation from normal practice. Accordingly, I request an explanation of this USACE action and a commitment to no longer using federal resources for such unjustified and frivolous purposes.
Reporting suggests that the request from the Secret Service to alter the outflow request for Caesar Creek Lake was not just to ensure safe or secure conditions, but also to create favorable kayaking conditions. If true, this is an inappropriate and embarrassing abuse of power over publicly owned resources by the Trump administration. While there is precedent for USACE to modify water levels to accommodate certain activities, the modification of outflows is usually executed for activities that serve a public purpose (e.g., emergency responder training) and not for the sole personal benefit of one individual and his/her family. The misuse of public water resources for the Vice President’s family is particularly offensive considering this administration’s cuts to federal agencies, cuts which are already harming outdoor recreation opportunities for American families.
This is not the first time this administration has misused Army Corps resources for questionable reasons or political gain. In February, President Trump directed USACE to release 2.2 billion gallons of water from two California reservoirs, falsely claiming that such a release would help fight the Los Angeles fires. That reckless act of political theater put Central Valley farms and residents at risk of flooding and wasted water intended for irrigation during the driest months of the year. The unnecessary release was executed despite the administration’s knowledge that the water would likely be wasted.
With the most recent act at Caesar Creek Lake, the Trump administration is providing further evidence of its willingness to exploit public resources for the personal and political benefit of administration officials. I hope that the public scrutiny of the Caesar Creek Lake water release will refocus the Army Corps on its mission to deliver vital engineering solutions that secure the country, energize the economy, and reduce risk from disasters.
Please answer the following questions no later than September 5, 2025.
- What volume of water was required to raise the Caesar Creek water levels two feet, and what was the original intended purpose of that water? What steps did USACE take to ensure sufficient water would be available for those purposes
- Did USACE appropriately document its decision-making processes prior to executing this water release? If so, please provide this documentation.
- Prior to executing this water release, did USACE perform any analysis or assessment to examine potential effects on upstream or downstream water resources, navigation, natural resources and environmental quality, or public safety? Please explain what analysis was performed and provide documentation of such analysis.
- If the Vice President was not informed of the decision to change the outflow of the lake, as the Secret Service has publicly stated, why was he not informed of this planned manipulation of public resources for his personal benefit?
- Did the Secret Service allow USACE adequate time to document its decision-making and conduct any relevant analyses of the water release prior to its execution?
- Has USACE received other personal requests from administration officials for similar personal purposes? If so, please identify them.
- Will the Army Corps commit to no longer fulfilling individual, personal requests that fall outside the scope of its mission?
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