Trump criticizes Maryland governor over response to sewage spill in the Potomac River

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday criticized Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over what he said was a delayed response to a ruptured pipe in January that sent sewage flowing into the Potomac River in northwest Washington.

Trump targeted Moore even though the District of Columbia Water Authority and the federal government have jurisdiction over the broken pipe.

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The 1960s-era pipe, called the Potomac Interceptor, is part of DC Water, a Washington-based utility that is federally regulated and overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

However, while spending the weekend at his Florida home, Trump said on social media that he “cannot allow incompetent local leadership” to turn the Potomac “into a disaster area.” He said he ordered federal authorities to intervene to coordinate the response.

“There is a massive environmental disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the gross mismanagement of local Democratic leaders, especially Maryland Governor Wes Moore,” Trump added in his social media post.

But Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Moore, said EPA officials did not participate in a recent legislative hearing on the cleanup, and said the Trump administration was broadly “shirking its responsibility” to fix and clean up what researchers from the University of Maryland say is one of the largest wastewater spills in U.S. history.

“The president got his facts wrong again,” Musa said. “It seems the Trump administration didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to be in charge here,” he added.

“We have been coordinating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since the Potomac Interceptor collapse,” DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis said in a statement Monday.

Who is responsible?

Asked why Trump blamed Moore outside of Maryland, a White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Maryland had been slow to coordinate with federal entities about ruptured pipes and had not kept up with needed updates to the state’s water and sewer infrastructure.

Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would play a key role in coordinating the response, but noted that the agency was affected by the defunding of the Department of Homeland Security.

The partial government shutdown began Saturday after Congressional Democrats and Trump’s team failed to reach an agreement on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt referenced the sewage spill on social media, saying: “Add this to the long list of reasons why Democrats need to get serious and fund DHS.”

The leak was caused by a 72-inch (183 cm) diameter sewer pipe that collapsed last month, sending millions of gallons of sewage out of the ground and into the river.

DC Water says repairing the pipe following the Jan. 19 rupture was complex.

A video inspection of the pipeline earlier this month revealed that the blockage within the collapsed sewer line was “far more significant” than originally thought. The agency said it discovered a large rock dam about 30 feet (9 meters) from the breach in the sewer line, which requires remediation before the current leak can be addressed.

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The emergency repair is expected to take another four to six weeks. The work will address immediate repairs to the damaged portion of the pipe and several other issues, including environmental restoration.

The Washington, D.C., Department of Energy and Environment says drinking water remains safe, but it urged people to avoid unnecessary contact with water from the Potomac River, avoid fishing, and keep pets away.

An ongoing battle between Trump and Moore

The president has frequently sparred with Moore, a Democrat seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, since Trump returned to the White House last year.

Trump says he is excluding Moore and Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from the White House Governors’ Dinner scheduled for Saturday as state leaders gather in Washington for a National Governors Association meeting.

The president and his aides also criticized Moore and other Maryland officials over the violence in Baltimore, the state’s largest city, where Trump threatened to send in National Guard troops as he has elsewhere around the country.

Moore and other Democratic officials in Maryland countered that homicides in Baltimore are at historic lows with a continued decline starting in 2023, and said the state has no need for National Guard troops.

The Trump administration also questioned Moore about “DEI contracting practices” and “inflating project costs” to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The important bridge collapsed in March 2024 after a huge container ship collided with it.

The president told reporters that his dissatisfaction with Moore’s handling of the bridge reconstruction and sewage spill is the reason he will not be included in the White House Governors’ Dinner next weekend.

“He can’t fix anything,” Trump told reporters as he returned to Washington from his home in Florida on Monday evening.

Moses, the governor’s spokesman, said Maryland is prepared to work with federal officials.

“The Potomac is not a talking point, and the people of the region deserve serious leadership that meets the moment,” Moses said.