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Concerns are rising in Washington after a massive sewage pipeline break in Maryland spilled more than 240 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River, prompting fears the river could continue to smell as the U.S. prepares for its America 250 anniversary celebrations this summer. At a Feb. 2026 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Trump is worried the odor could persist and said the federal government wants to fix the problem — while urging local authorities to work with federal agencies to address the crisis.

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00:00Any of the three local jurisdictions involved, whether that's the Commonwealth of Virginia,
00:04the state of Maryland and Governor Moore, or the District of Columbia, to step forward
00:08and to ask the federal government for help.
00:11Five years earlier, there has been no improvement under the leadership of Governor Moore.
00:15He's clearly shown he's incapable of fixing this problem, which is why President Trump
00:19and the federal government are standing by to step in.
00:22The District of Columbia, let's all hope and pray that this governor does the right thing
00:26and ask President Trump to get involved, because it will be an ecological and environmental disaster.
00:31The sewage pipe that broke on the Potomac, can you give us an update on the federal government's
00:36response?
00:36And officials have told CBS that some of that aging infrastructure is a concern, that this
00:42particular pipe wasn't even of the most urgent concern.
00:45Do you know if the government is looking into which other pipes could be at risk of collapsing?
00:51MS. Well, the next step in this process is for any of the three local jurisdictions
00:57involved, whether that's the Commonwealth of Virginia, the state of Maryland and Governor
01:01Moore, or the District of Columbia, to step forward and to ask the federal government for
01:06help, and to ask for the Stafford Act to be implemented here, so that the federal government
01:11can go and take control of this local infrastructure that has been abandoned and neglected by Governor
01:18Moore in Maryland for far too long. In fact, it's no secret that Maryland's water and
01:23infrastructure have been in dire need of repair. Their infrastructure has received a nearly failing
01:28grade in the 2025 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This is the same grade
01:34they've received five years earlier. There has been no improvement under the leadership of Governor
01:39Moore. He's clearly shown he's incapable of fixing this problem, which is why President Trump
01:44and the federal government are standing by to step in. And for all of the environmentalists in the
01:48room and across the District of Columbia, let's all hope and pray that this governor does the right thing
01:53and ask President Trump to get involved, because it will be an ecological and environmental disaster
01:58if the federal government does not step in to help. But of course, we need the state and local
02:02jurisdictions to make that formal request. That's part of the legal process to move forward.
02:08So you said that any of the three Democrats just need to ask. A few minutes ago,
02:13Maryland's Governor Westmore asked, he said, if the president wants me to ask nicely, our response
02:18is this, please, Mr. President, do your job. To which I say, I'll ask the president and we will provide
02:26you with the next steps. But in all seriousness, the federal government has been preparing plans.
02:31The White House has been in contact with FEMA, with the Army Corps of Engineers,
02:35with the Environmental Protection Agency. Again, we've been standing by. This is a problem we want
02:39to fix, not just for the federal government, but for everyone who lives in the District of Columbia,
02:44including all of you. So you're welcome. To your point about that, there are a lot of events
02:48coming up for America 250. The president wants people from all over to come to the nation's capital.
02:54Is he worried that by the summer, the Potomac River will still smell like poop?
03:02He is worried about that, which is why the federal government wants to fix it. And we hope that
03:07the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so. Steve.
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