Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) told President Donald Trump on Wednesday to “do your job” in cleaning up the raw sewage that was dumped into the Potomac River due to a ruptured pipe in Maryland.
The two have traded barbs repeatedly this week as fallout from the massive sewage spill grows.
On Tuesday, Trump floated a federal takeover of the environmental cleanup process if Maryland, Virginia, and Washington asked “politely” for his help.
By Wednesday, Moore reiterated his view that the federal government is directly responsible for responding to the ecological disaster that began in January.
“Now the White House wants to get involved, even though I was doing — we were doing their job for the past month,” he told CNN. “And so if the president wants me to ask nicely, here’s my nice ask to the president: Mr. President, please do your job.”
Moore made a similar statement while providing an update on the wastewater spill.
“We believe in being good neighbors, but to blame Maryland in this when this is a D.C. pipe on federal land is asinine. It is disingenuous, absurd, and politically motivated,” he said, noting his office will collaborate with the Trump administration to fix the mess. “But if the president wants me to ask nicely, my response is this: Please, Mr. President, do your job.”
As directed by the president, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency are coordinating with state and local authorities to contain the spill.
The Potomac Interceptor sewage system collapsed on Jan. 19, resulting in an overflow of some 200 million to 300 million gallons of untreated sewage in the past month. The Potomac was directly affected by the pipe break, becoming a breeding ground for E. coli bacteria. Drinking water has not been contaminated, but residents were told not to come into contact with the river.
POTOMAC SEWAGE SPILL: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP?
In a Wednesday update, DC Water said there have been no more overflows since the Super Bowl and that its “efforts to isolate the damaged section of pipe are moving forward.” The utility company previously said it is working on emergency repairs over the next four to six weeks.
While the governor and president continue blaming each other for mishandling the situation, both federal and state authorities are responsible for cleaning up the sewage spill.
