Schiff questions funds spent changing water level during Vance kayaking trip
Schiff asked Hegseth, Adam Telle, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, and Sean Curran, the director of the U.S. Secret Service, to provide more information about a decision to change the outflow of Ohio's Caesar Creek Lake to help Vance celebrate his 41st birthday with a family boat float.
'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,' Schiff wrote.
Federal agencies said the river's water level was raised to allow for 'safe navigation' of Vance's security team while the vice president was kayaking with his family.
A source familiar with the situation told The Hill that public safety officials and Secret Service agents ran aground on a public safety boat when they went on a joint scouting mission in advance of Vance's paddle.
The U.S. Secret Service has said that Vance was not informed of the decision to change the outflow of the lake.
Schiff in his letter asserted that it while there's precedent for raising water levels to help some activities, such as emergency responder training, it would be inappropriate to do so 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,' Schiff wrote.
The senator wants the Defense Department and Secret Service to explain what volume of water was required to raise the water levels of Caesar Creek by two feet to accommodate Vance's excursion and what was the original intended purpose of the water that was released.
He wants to know whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appropriately documented its decision-making process prior to releasing the water and whether it performed any analysis or assessment to examine potential effects on upstream or downstream water resources, navigation or environmental quality.
Schiff is also seeking confirmation that Vance was not told of the decision to raise the river's water flow and an explanation of why he was not informed.
The senator criticized President Trump for directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release 2.2 billion gallons of water from two California reservoirs to help firefighters battling the Los Angeles wildfires in February, a move that critics said was done for political benefit and didn't help contain the destructive blazes.
'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,' he wrote. '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.'
He asked the Corps of Engineers to pledge to no longer fulfill personal requests that fall outside the scope of its mission.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service on Friday confirmed receipt of Schiff's letter and said the agency would respond through official channels.
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