The U.S. Secret Service recently asked to raise the levels of an Ohio river so Vice President JD Vance could go kayaking, according to a new report.
Vance went out on the Little Miami River in southwest Ohio on Aug. 2, when the vice president turned 41, The Guardian reported. Secret Service officials asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Louisville District to temporarily increase outflow from Caesar Creek Lake, which is connected to the river.
A Secret Service spokesperson told the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, that it “conducted operational planning to ensure that motorized watercraft and emergency personnel could operate safely with appropriate water levels during a recent visit.”
The spokesperson also thanked the Army Corps and Ohio Department of Natural Resources “for providing a safe and secure environment for our personnel and law enforcement partners.”
A DNR spokesperson referred a reporter to the Army Corps, which did not immediately respond to questions. Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, called on the Army Corps to share records of the Secret Service request with Congress.
“Outrageous!” Kaptur posted on X. “Must be why he wasn’t available to meet about his Big Bonanza for Billionaires Bill which will devastate Ohio manufacturing jobs and our rural hospitals.”
This story will be updated.
Haley BeMiller is a reporter at the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: An Ohio river level was raised just for JD Vance’s birthday boat trip
