Blame game: Trump and Maryland governor battle over Potomac River cleanup
Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy reports on the Trump administration’s response to the sewage spill in the Potomac River, accusations of racism and more on ‘Special Report.’
President Donald Trump on Saturday approved a disaster declaration for Washington, D.C., over the Potomac River sewage disaster.
The declaration will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to step in and provide assistance after a sewer line collapsed in January and dumped millions of gallons of raw filth into the water outlining the nation's capital.
"The president’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population and to provide appropriate assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe," FEMA said in a statement.
FEMA's assistance will cover the nation's capital and the areas in Maryland and Virginia where the District of Columbia has responsibilities, the agency said.
Pumps and pipes divert raw sewage into the C&O Canal Feb. 16, in Cabin John, Md. A sewage pipe interceptor collapsed on Jan. 19, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The emergency declaration authorizes FEMA to provide direct federal assistance under its Public Assistance program, specifically covering emergency protective measures categorized as "Category B."
The federal government will fund 75% of eligible response costs, according to FEMA. Mark K. O’Hanlon has been named the federal coordinating officer for the disaster response, and additional aid designations could be made following further damage assessments.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem took to social media Saturday to share the news, writing, "We will not let our citizens suffer without help."
A sewerage pipe interceptor ruptured Jan. 19, releasing upward of 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a disaster emergency over the Potomac sewage spill and requested federal assistance with the cleanup.
Trump said he is worried the Potomac River will still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer, according to the White House.
President Donald Trump has said he is concerned a sewage pipe rupture into the Potomac River could hinder America250 celebrations in the D.C. area this summer, according to the White House. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
The president has directed his ire toward Democrat Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other local leaders in Virginia and Washington, D.C., on the issue, claiming alleged incompetence led to the disaster.
Moore and his office, however, have pushed back on Trump's assertions, claiming the federal government has oversight over the sewer utility.
Sewage clings to flotsam in the Potomac near Glen Echo, Md. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"This is a Washington, D.C., pipe on federal land," Moore told Fox News Digital this week. "Maryland has nothing to do with this. In fact, the only thing Maryland did was when we saw a neighbor who was in need. That's why I ordered people, our people to go support them, and that's what we've been doing the past month."
Millions of gallons of raw sewage poured into the Potomac River after the underground pipeline collapsed Jan. 19. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"We've been doing essentially the federal government's job because it's the federal government's job to be able to protect the Potomac interconnector because that's federal land," Moore said. "For the president now to come and attack me on this, I find that to be ... absurd."
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The sewerage pipes are managed by D.C. Water, an independent utility based in the District of Columbia, which has made emergency repairs but says it will take four to six weeks to completely fix what's known as a broken interceptor.
Fox Business' Edward Lawrence and Fox News Digital's Emma Colton and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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