WASHINGTON (AP) – A sudden halt by the Trump administration on a project designed to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes was lifted this week, just hours after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer spoke with President Donald Trump.
The Army Corps had paused construction on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project near Joliet, Illinois, in July without providing reasons. This left officials in both Illinois and Michigan searching for answers as environmental experts warned that invasive carp were being detected alarmingly close to Lake Michigan.
Then Whitmer, a Democrat, reached out to Trump.
The phone call on Wednesday came as a surprise from the Democratic governor, who has formed an unusual rapport with a president once seen as her political adversary. Just hours after their conversation, the stop-work order was rescinded.
This incident highlights not only the unique bipartisan relationship Whitmer has developed with Trump but also how his administration often operates through direct communication and personal connections – where phone calls and respect for the president are vital for progress.
“Governor Whitmer spoke with President Trump today to ask him to direct the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to lift the stop-work order,” Bobby Leddy, a spokesperson for Whitmer, said in a statement. “The governor underscored the urgency of the moment, noting that invasive carp were recently found just 80 miles from Lake Michigan – farther up the Illinois River than ever recorded.”
Whitmer’s office announced on Wednesday that they had been informed work on the project could continue. The White House directed inquiries to the Army Corps of Engineers, which did not respond immediately for comment.
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A key project caught in limbo under Trump
Illinois, Michigan and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers have invested years into planning various technologies along the Des Plaines River near Joliet to prevent invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan. Despite Trump’s public support and substantial federal funding approved under President Joe Biden, this project has faced repeated uncertainty during his administration. In March, Whitmer urged Trump to release federal funds for Brandon Road. Soon after, he posted on Truth Social that he was “working with Governor Gretchen Whitmer” to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp; following this interaction, funding was allocated for another phase of the project in April. However, another stop-work order was issued in July due to an administrative review without much explanation provided. “It’s time for the Trump Administration to uphold the federal government’s obligations, stop playing political games, and move this project forward,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker stated on July 30. The situation became more pressing in August when officials from Illinois discovered hundreds of juvenile invasive carp around 80 miles from Lake Michigan-marking a significant finding since monitoring began in 2010.Whitmer’s distinct connection with Trump
Whitmer is term-limited and will leave office in January but has engaged more openly with Trump during his second term compared to their earlier confrontations during his first term. She has visited him at the White House and welcomed him when he came to Michigan; this approach has sometimes drawn criticism from fellow Democrats concerned about her cooperation with a Republican president. Even after receiving word that lifting of the stop-work order occurred, officials in Illinois-the project’s home state-had yet to be informed about this decision raising doubts regarding its stability moving forward. Pritzker stands out sharply against Whitmer; he has become one of Trump’s most vocal critics among governors while considering a run for 2028 Democratic nomination against him. “Despite having Brandon Road Interbasin Project located in Illinois, our state hasn’t received any new updates from Trump’s administration,” Matt Hill spokesperson for Pritzker noted in a statement. “You would think if they truly cared about protecting Great Lakes they would reach out directly.” ___ Associated Press reporter Will Weissert contributed to this report. (function() { // Load Facebook SDK unconditionally for embedded posts/videos window. fb Async Init = function() { FB. init({ app Id: ‘1012842788852986’, xfbml: true, version: ‘v18.0′ }); }; (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs=d. get Elements By Tag Name(s)[0]; if(d. get Element By Id(id)) return; js=d. create Element(s); js. id=id; js. async=true; js. src=”https://connect. facebook. net/en_US/sdk. js”; fjs. parent Node. insert Before(js, fjs); }(document,’script’,’facebook-jssdk’)); })();Source link
