On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum addressed to the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior, directing them to “route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state for use by the people there who desperately need a reliable water supply.” The directive is intended to continue work that President Trump initiated in his first term but was halted “allegedly in protection of the Delta smelt and other species of fish” in response to a lawsuit brought by California’s governor. President Trump cites the recent wildfires in southern California as one justification for the policy.