In what appears to be a blatant abuse of public resources, Vice President JD Vance had the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raise the water level of a river in Ohio so he could have a better boating experience on a personal vacation to celebrate his birthday, the Guardian reported.
Data from the United States Geological Survey shows that the water level of the Caesar Creek Lake in Ohio—which feeds into the Little Miami River where Vance was vacationing with family for his 41st birthday on Aug. 2—dropped precipitously on the days Vance was vacationing.
According to the Guardian report, Vance’s Secret Service detail made the request to “support safe navigation” of the Little Miami River for Vance’s security detail. But even if that was the case, which somehow we highly doubt, Vance should have chosen a different family vacation spot.
One has to seriously question Vance’s political instincts if he is okay with the optics of using taxpayer resources for a family vacation on public lands, while the National Parks Service struggles to provide average Americans with service thanks to budget cuts from co-President Elon Musk’s destructive Department of Government Efficiency.
“It’s outrageous for the Army corps of engineers to spend taxpayer money to increase water flow in a river so @VP can go canoeing when budget cuts to the National Park Service have severely impacted family vacations for everyone else,” ethics lawyer Richard Painter wrote in a post on X.
Related | Your camping plans may be kaput as Trump targets national parks
Norm Eisen, who served as White House special counsel for ethics and government reform under former President Barack Obama, said he never would have approved this kind of trip.
“While there may well be security-related explanations or justifications that come into the analysis, my reaction is: I don’t care. We shouldn’t be utilising government resources in this way. I never would have allowed it,” Eisen told the Guardian.
Democrats, meanwhile, slammed Vance for using Army Corps of Engineers resources for his personal gain.
“In NJ, we’re waiting for Army Corp of Engineers to address ongoing, catastrophic flooding of the Rahway River towns. Maybe after Vance family vacation,” Kathleen Miller Prunty, the commissioner of public safety in Cranford, New Jersey, wrote in a post on X.
Ultimately, this is just the latest time Trump administration officials have used public resources for private enjoyment. President Donald Trump notoriously spent tens of millions on an ultimately lame military parade to celebrate his birthday. He is also spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a new Air Force One that he will then take with him after he leaves office—an insanely corrupt deal that Republican yes-men in Congress are happy to let Dear Leader have.
What’s more, Trump is spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to travel to his personal golf properties not only in the United States, but also abroad. Most recently, he spent $10 million to visit his failing golf properties in Scotland, where he was mercilessly mocked by Scots who hate his guts.
Other lower-level Trump officials are also using their government positions for personal gain. FBI Director Kash Patel has been accused of using government private jets for personal travel. And Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requested a new $50 million private jet to ferry her around to her evil stunts.
The Trump administration wants all of us to go without as they live in the lap of luxury with taxpayer resources. F that.