Ranking Member Huffman Slams Trump’s Executive Order to Upend California Water System, Once Again Conditioning Aid

Trump directed agencies to consider a number of actions unrelated to the wildfires or water supply in Southern California

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s executive order related to Southern California’s water supply:

“President Trump has wasted no time in abusing his power by capitalizing on a crisis to advance the GOP’s longstanding goals of decimating environmental protections and putting special interests over the needs of everyday Americans. With the stroke of a pen, Trump has chosen to undermine critically important safeguards and a whole host of community needs regarding the largest and most complex water operations in the world,” said Ranking Member Jared Huffman.

“Do not be fooled by Trump’s lies: none of the policies in this executive order will move even a single drop of extra water to communities devastated by these wildfires. This administration is presenting us with a false choice. Fishers, farmers, treasured species, and every water user all depend on our water resources – we do not have to pick winners or losers. This is a blatant, shameless move to shoehorn Republican donors’ unpopular pet issues into the national conversation and pull a bait and switch on desperate Californians.

“Families in Southern California have lost everything. The president should be focusing on convincing his allies in Congress to provide Los Angeles the assistance it desperately needs as soon as possible and free from conditions. Instead, he is doubling down on conditioning aid to California with unrelated demands. These actions by the Trump administration mark a low point for cooperative water management for all Californians, people, and wildlife.”

BACKGROUND

President Trump signed an Executive Order on directing Federal Agencies to take steps to increase the water supply in Southern California. Among other provisions, he directed agencies to consider a number of actions unrelated to the wildfires or water supply in Southern California, including:

Reevaluating the 2024 Bureau of Reclamation Environmental Impact Statement for the State Water Project (SWP) and the Central Valley Project (CVP) operations including the outdated “no action alternative” pushed by his first administration;
Ignoring state and local laws in the Central Valley Project operations;
Advocates for expediting the use of the Endangered Species Act “God Squad” to waive ESA protections for salmon and other species impacted by the CVP and SWP;
Rescinding or updating regulations related to ESA section 7 interagency consultations; and
Suspending, revising, or rescinding any regulations or procedures the Trump administration believes impede water storage projects.

Water managers and researchers have said that Southern California’s cities are not currently short of water, and that the region’s reservoirs are at record high levels following plentiful deliveries of supplies in 2023 and 2024.

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