Trump Directs Government to Intervene in Potomac River Sewage Leak

Did federal oversight fail or did local Democrats mismanage the sewage crisis?

FEB 17·Updated 7 days ago

Trump Directs Government to Intervene in Potomac River Sewage Leak

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Above: Waste clings to a branch on Feb. 16 in Cabin John, Maryland, as millions of gallons of untreated sewage is diverted along the C&O Canal. Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

This ecological catastrophe represents the largest wastewater spill in U.S. history, dwarfing even the Exxon Valdez disaster, yet local Democratic leadership failed to request emergency help or adequately manage essential waste systems. The incompetence is staggering: a 72-inch pipe collapsed, creating a literal river of sewage that will devastate the Chesapeake Bay, yet it took 25 days just to post a public health advisory. Federal intervention became necessary when state authorities proved incapable of handling this calamity threatening the nation's capital.

Donald Trump on Truth Social The Washington Times

Democratic narrative

The federal government bears responsibility for this disaster since DC Water, which operates under federal jurisdiction, has overseen the 60-year-old pipe for years. Maryland officials responded within hours of the rupture, conducting inspections, closing shellfish harvests and issuing public health warnings while the EPA declined to even attend legislative briefings. The Trump administration's sudden finger-pointing can't obscure its own failure to act when federal oversight was needed most.

Jeff Morgan on X Maryland Matters