JD Vance's team had water level of Ohio river raised for family's boating trip [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Wed 6 Aug 2025 17.46 EDT
Last modified on Wed 6 Aug 2025 17.51 EDT


US vice-president JD Vance’s team had the army corp of engineers in Louisville take the unusual step of changing the outflow of a lake in Ohio to accommodate a recent boating excursion on a family holiday, the Guardian has learned.

The request from the US Secret Service was made to “support safe navigation” of the vice-president’s security detail for an August outing on the Little Miami River, according to a statement by the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). Vance was spotted in the south-western Ohio area on 2 August, his 41st birthday, according to social media posts that noted the vice-president was seen canoeing on the river, a tributary that Caesar Creek Lake feeds into.

One source with knowledge of the matter who communicated with the Guardian anonymously alleged that the outflow request for the Caesar Creek Lake was not just to support the vice-president’s Secret Service detail, but also to create “ideal kayaking conditions”. The Guardian could not independently confirm this specific claim.

The news raises questions about whether Vance’s office was potentially exploiting public infrastructure resources for his personal recreation at a time when the Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, scientific research and government jobs as part of its “efficiency” drive. The vice-president’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Read more: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/06/jd-vance-ohio-lake-water-levels