Trump says military 'turned on the water' in California. State officials say that's false.
"The military did not enter California," said the state's Department of Water Resources.
California officials said late Monday that the U.S. military did not enter the state and release a large flow of water, as President Donald Trump had earlier claimed in the latest back-and-forth between Trump and the state over water resources.
Trump, who visited fire-ravaged parts of Los Angeles last week, wrote Monday night on Truth Social that "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."
"The days of putting a Fake Environmental Argument, over PEOPLE, are over," he said. "Enjoy the water, California!!!"
The California Department of Water Resources soon shot back, saying "The military did not enter California."
Instead, the agency said, the federal government "restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days," adding, "State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful."
The exchange comes after Trump toured areas scorched by the blazes on Friday and signed an executive order that tasked federal officials with delivering more water and other resources to Southern California, even if it means "overriding" state and local officials.
The executive order – Trump's second related to California's water system since taking office – tasks the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a national agency, to deliver more water through the Central Valley Project, a network of dams, canals and other infrastructure.
In a section titled "Overriding Disastrous California Policies," the order calls on the interior and commerce secretaries to "to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries." The order also directed the White House to see whether it could attach conditions on federal aid to California to ensure cooperation.
Last week, on his first day in office, the president signed an executive order directing federal agencies “to route more water" from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state – an effort to change the environmental protections of the smelt, a tiny fish on the Endangered Species List.
Trump has criticized the state for its handling of the recent wildfires, chiding officials after some fire hydrants ran dry in Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly defended his state's water system and hit back at Trump's criticisms.
"Maybe the president doesn’t know that there’s not a spigot that can be turned to solve all the water problems that he alleges exist that don’t exist when it comes to the state water system here in California," he told reporters last week before the president's visit.
Newsom met Trump upon his arrival in California on Friday and the two men, whose relationship has often been contentious, spoke with the media. Newsom said the state will need the president's support in the recovery effort. “We’re going to get it done,” Trump responded.
The Palisades and Eaton fires broke out on Jan. 7 and have torched an area larger than the city of Miami, destroyed thousands of structures and killed at least 29 people. Firefighters have increased containment on both blazes and others in Los Angeles County and San Diego County as winds slowed and rain eased dry conditions.
(This story has been updated to add additional information.)
Contributing: Terry Collins, Bart Jansen, Zac Anderson, Paste BN