The Trump administration is pulling back on staff firings at the federal agency that runs California’s sprawling water system after the cuts threatened undercut President Donald Trump’s order to maximize water deliveries to farms, according to three agency staffers. The Bureau of Reclamation employees, who were granted anonymity due to fear of reprisals, said political officials have paused an additional planned round of terminations across the federal agency that manages Western water and are bringing back five previously fired employees of the California office. The move comes after POLITICO reported that the firings were impacting Reclamation’s ability to operate facilities that are crucial to carrying out Trump’s executive orders calling for California water supplies to be dialed up.

Other DOGE and water infrastructure news:

• The Independent (London): Musk’s DOGE ‘whiz kids’ flew to California to try and release water themselves during LA fires
• Newsweek: How DOGE cuts threaten California’s critical water safety
• Stocktonia (Calif.): Trump’s DOGE cuts hit Stockton, will end IRS, Bureau of Prisons leases (+ Central Valley water officials’ concerns)
• The Hill: Trump administration’s funding, staff cuts spark concerns over Colorado River
• San Francisco Chronicle: Report: Army Corps knew Trump’s water release couldn’t reach Southern California