No, Trump didn't send the military to turn the water back on, California says
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A helicopter drops water on the Border Fire in San Diego, California, on Jan. 24. Photo: Zoë Meyers/AFP via Getty Images
California officials pushed back on President Trump's claim that the U.S. military "turned on the water" as the state recovers from deadly wildfires.
Why it matters: Trump has clashed with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the state's response to the Los Angeles-area fires, and previously threatened to withhold federal aid if the state doesn't agree to the president's demands.
Driving the news: "The military did not enter California" the California Department of Water Resources said in a statement late Monday on the west coast.
- "The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful."
Catch up quick: "The days of putting a fake environmental argument over the people are over," Trump said late Monday on Truth Social. "Enjoy the water, California!!!"
- He said the U.S. military entered California and that water was now flowing "abundantly from the Pacific Northwest."
- The Trump administration did not immediately respond to Axios' request to clarify the president's statement.
Trump issued an executive order on Friday directing federal agencies to override California's water resource policies.
- He called on the Interior and Commerce secretaries to "immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries."
The other side: Scientists, water managers, state leaders and experts said cities in Southern California aren't short of water, per Newsom's office.
- "Reservoirs in California are at or above average storage levels for this time of year, thanks in part to years of proactive water management," the Association of California Water Agencies said in a statement.
- Experts also debunked the idea that a "valve" can control the state's water supply.
Flashback: Trump suggested Newsom was to blame for fire hydrants that ran dry as the wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area earlier this month.
- Trump has also pushed Newsom to support a policy that would pump more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, currently regulated to protect an endangered fish.
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