Lee, Levin Ask Army Corps of Engineers for Clarity on Its Response to Trump’s Order to Open CA Dams

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Representatives Susie Lee (NV-03) and Mike Levin (CA-49) sent a letter to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Lieutenant General William H. "Butch" Graham, Jr., seeking clarity on the USACE’s response to President Trump’s January 2025 order to release billions of gallons of water from multiple California dams to further a misleading narrative that this water would benefit areas in Southern California affected by wildfires. The releases instead left Western farmers and water managers reeling — and now risk setting a dangerous precedent of political interference undermining water security in the region. 

 On February 25, 2025, Lt. Gen. Graham testified before the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee and — while responding to questions from Reps. Lee and Levin — repeatedly failed to acknowledge that any water released from the dams could not have been directly delivered to fire-ravaged areas in Southern California. Subsequent public reporting on March 7, 2025, now appears to confirm that USACE knew this to be the case even at the time that it released upwards of 2.5 billion gallons from California’s Terminus Dam and Schafer Dam earlier this year. 

Reps. Lee and Levin have reached out directly to Lt. Gen. Graham in a letter asking for clarifying answers. 

 “Our questions centered on the highly unusual water releases from California’s Terminus Dam and Schafer Dam beginning in late January — releases that Rep. Lee collectively characterized as a ‘risky, rushed, wasteful political stunt by the Trump Administration to create this impression that somehow this water would assist the wildfire response in Southern California … [but] didn’t help L.A. at all,’” wrote Representatives Susie Lee and Mike Levin. “Reporting from The Washington Post subsequent to the hearing not only confirms that characterization, but also appears to confirm that the USACE itself knew this to be the case — and was complicit in releasing roughly 2.5 billion gallons of Western water as part of a political photo op.” 

The Representatives continued, “It troubles us that we learned this from a newspaper in March rather than from the USACE’s Commanding General when you testified before our subcommittee in February. When Rep. Lee asked you about these releases at the hearing, you characterized them as ‘completely within Corps authorities.’ While perhaps technically true, this response failed to appropriately capture and convey the context and unprecedented nature of the releases later detailed by media sources.” 

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below: 

March 13, 2025 

Lt. Gen. William H. “Butch” Graham, Jr. 

Chief of Engineers and Commanding General 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

441 G Street NW 

Washington, DC 20314 

Dear General Graham: 

Last month — on Tuesday, February 25 — you appeared before the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee at an oversight hearing on the state of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Civil Works Program. We are following up to ask you to clarify testimony that you provided in response to questions from us at the hearing. 

Our questions centered on the highly unusual water releases from California’s Terminus Dam and Schafer Dam beginning in late January — releases that Rep. Lee collectively characterized as a “risky, rushed, wasteful political stunt by the Trump Administration to create this impression that somehow this water would assist the wildfire response in Southern California … [but] didn’t help L.A. at all.” 

Reporting from The Washington Post subsequent to the hearing not only confirms that characterization, but also appears to confirm that the USACE itself knew this to be the case — and was complicit in releasing roughly 2.5 billion gallons of Western water as part of a political photo op. 

“The Army Corps of Engineers colonel responsible for releasing water from two California reservoirs at President Donald Trump’s direction in January knew that it was unlikely to reach the southern part of the state as Trump had promised, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post,” the paper reported on March 7. “Col. Chad W. Caldwell, commander of the Army Corps’ Sacramento district, wrote that the water that poured out of Lake Kaweah and Success Lake ‘could not be delivered to Southern California directly.’” 

Moreover: “The colonel had also been asked to send photos of the water to Washington, according to an official familiar with the request who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Trump posted a photo of water flowing from Lake Kaweah on X the next day.” 

It troubles us that we learned this from a newspaper in March rather than from the USACE’s Commanding General when you testified before our subcommittee in February. When Rep. Lee asked you about these releases at the hearing, you characterized them as “completely within Corps authorities.” While perhaps technically true, this response failed to appropriately capture and convey the context and unprecedented nature of the releases later detailed by media sources. 

You also underscored the USACE’s “commitment to continue to work with the state and local irrigators to get the maximum benefit out of the water in those basins.” The word “continue” here, however, implies that the January water releases were somehow in keeping with that commitment, which is now clear was not the case. 

Finally, when Rep. Levin asked you directly if the water from the releases reached Los Angeles, you replied: “I don’t know what happens to the water once we release it from the dams.” When Rep. Levin pressed you on this point, you again replied, “Sir, I don’t know what happened to the water once it released the dams.” 

In light of the March 7 reporting from The Washington Post, please provide responses to the following questions as soon as possible: 

1. Were you aware of Col. Caldwell’s memo — representing “that the water that poured out of Lake Kaweah and Success Lake ‘could not be delivered to Southern California directly’” — prior to your appearance before the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee on February 25? 
2. If not, why not? 
3. Do you stand by your testimony that you “don’t know what happened to the water once it released the dams” — or do you wish to amend and/or expand upon those remarks? 
4. Is it the USACE’s position that the releases from Terminus Dam and Schafer Dam earlier this year got “the maximum benefit out of the water” in Lake Kaweah and Success Lake? 

Thank you for your attention and prompt reply. 

Sincerely, 

Susie Lee, Member of Congress  

Mike Levin, Member of Congress 

CC: 

The Honorable Chuck Fleischmann, Chairman, House Appropriations Energy       

and Water Development Subcommittee  

The Honorable Marcy Kaptur, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Energy    

and Water Development Subcommittee  

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