On a warm August morning in 2025, the usually tranquil Little Miami River in southwest Ohio became the unlikely center of a political storm. What began as a family kayaking trip for U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s 41st birthday quickly spiraled into a national debate over privilege, taxpayer resources, and the optics of power in America.
According to multiple reports, including CBC News and The Independent, the U.S. Secret Service requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporarily increase the outflow from Caesar Creek Lake, raising the water level of the Little Miami River. The stated reason: to ensure that motorized watercraft and emergency personnel could operate safely while protecting Vice President Vance and his family during their birthday outing on August 2, 2025.
The Army Corps’ Louisville District confirmed the operation, emphasizing that it met all operational criteria and fell within standard practices. "It was determined that the operations would not adversely affect downstream or upstream water levels," the Corps said in a statement, noting that downstream stakeholders had been notified in advance of the slight outflow increase, which occurred on August 1. Public data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed a sudden uptick in the river’s level and a corresponding drop in Caesar Creek Lake’s water surface elevation at the time.
Yet, the optics of the move—however routine it may have been for security—raised immediate questions. Critics pounced on what they saw as a glaring example of special treatment at a time when many Americans have been feeling the pinch from government cutbacks. Richard W. Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, didn’t mince words. On X (formerly Twitter), he called it “outrageous for the Army Corps of Engineers to spend taxpayer money to increase water flow in a river so [the vice-president] can go canoeing when budget cuts to the National Park Service have severely impacted family vacations for everyone else.”
Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, couldn’t resist a jab either, quipping, “A rising tide only lifts JD Vance’s boat.” The sentiment resonated with many who saw the episode as emblematic of a political class out of touch with ordinary Americans’ struggles.
The White House, for its part, scrambled to clarify the situation. A spokesperson insisted that neither Vice President Vance nor his family had any knowledge of the Secret Service’s request. "The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the Vice President or his staff, as was the case last weekend," Vance’s spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk said in a text to CBC News and echoed in The Independent. The Secret Service itself stated that it coordinated with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that Vance’s security detail could "operate safely with appropriate water levels during a recent visit."
Sources familiar with the matter told The Independent that the decision to raise the water was made for security reasons. During a scouting mission ahead of Vance’s trip, one of the Secret Service boats reportedly ran aground, highlighting the need for higher water levels to ensure the safety of the vice president’s detail.
Still, some critics weren’t convinced. The incident drew immediate comparisons to a similar episode in 1999, when then-Vice President Al Gore, also on the campaign trail, enjoyed a photo opportunity paddling down the Connecticut River after utility officials released four billion gallons of water to raise its level. Gore, like Vance, claimed he had not requested the special treatment, but the optics were enough to generate political blowback at the time.
For Vance, this was not the first time his family’s travel arrangements have sparked controversy. According to CBC News and The Independent, international trips in 2025 saw the Roman Colosseum in Italy and the Taj Mahal in India closed to the public so that Vance’s wife, Usha, and their children could tour in private. These closures angered some tourists and fueled further perceptions of privilege. In the U.S., Vance’s family vacations have attracted protests, most notably at Disneyland in California and at a Vermont ski resort, both drawing demonstrators critical of Trump administration immigration policies and other issues.
Despite the uproar, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintained that the river operation was within normal practice and did not cause harm to the river ecosystem or stakeholders. The agency’s spokesperson, Gene Pawlik, stated, "A request was received to temporarily increase outflows from Caesar Creek Lake to support safe navigation of U.S. Secret Service personnel." The process, officials said, was routine when high-level officials require protection in unpredictable environments—rivers, after all, can be fickle, and ensuring the safety of a vice president is no small task.
Political observers noted that the episode underscores a long-standing tension in American public life: the need to provide security for top officials versus the imperative to avoid even the appearance of impropriety or special privilege. For some, the fact that the vice president’s security detail needed higher water levels to do their job safely was simply a matter of protocol. For others, it was a symbol of how those in power can, intentionally or not, benefit from government resources in ways unavailable to the average citizen.
The controversy also points to the enduring challenge of public perception. As The Guardian first reported, an anonymous source suggested the request was made to create “ideal kayaking conditions” for the vice president. However, a source familiar with the matter denied that claim to The Independent, emphasizing that the decision was rooted in security needs after a Secret Service boat ran aground during a scouting trip.
As the story continued to swirl, Vice President Vance kept a low profile. After his Ohio outing, he traveled to London for a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy before heading off to a family vacation in the Cotswolds, a picturesque retreat in the English countryside. The vice president’s office reiterated that he was unaware of the river’s raised level and that he had not requested any special treatment.
For many, the episode will be remembered less for the technicalities of river management and more for what it says about the relationship between elected officials and the people they serve. In a year marked by budget cuts and rising frustration over government spending, even a seemingly innocuous family kayak trip can become a flashpoint for broader debates about fairness, privilege, and the responsibilities of public office.
As the political waters settle, the Little Miami River flows on—oblivious to the headlines, but not the scrutiny that now follows every ripple in the world of high office.