White House withdraws nomination of water expert as states map Colorado River plan

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Ted Cooke, a veteran water manager from Arizona, to lead the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that oversees water management in the western United States. Cooke told The Associated Press late Wednesday that he was preparing for a Senate confirmation hearing when his name was removed from the agenda. He said he wasn’t informed until this week that there was an unspecified issue with his background check and that the White House asked him to withdraw rather than pursue the matter publicly.

Cooke told AP he believed the issue was being used as political cover. "The real story here is that I’ve been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency because of party politics and maybe Colorado River basin intrigues," he said, adding that he believed he was given a fabricated excuse "to avoid having any discussion on what the real issue is." He said he did not know what the issue was.

The move comes as the Bureau and seven Western states confront a deadline to decide how to share the Colorado River amid ongoing drought and shrinking water supplies. The Interior Department, which oversees the Bureau, did not comment beyond redirecting questions to the White House, which did not respond to multiple inquiries.

The Colorado River is a lifeline to seven states, more than 20 Native American tribes, and two Mexican states. It provides electricity to millions of homes and businesses, irrigates vast stretches of desert farmland, and reaches faucets in cities throughout the Southwest, including Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

In Mesa, Arizona, Mayor Mark Freeman had celebrated Cooke’s nomination back in June in a social media post. On Wednesday, the Republican said he was disappointed to learn the nomination wouldn’t move forward. "Mr. Cooke has dedicated his career to managing Arizona’s water resources, and his deep knowledge of the Colorado River system would have provided valuable insight during this critical time. Although his nomination was not confirmed, the challenges before us remain," Freeman said, underscoring the need to ensure reliable water supplies.

Anne Castle, former chair of the Upper Colorado River Commission, said in an email that withdrawal of the nomination "looks like backroom politics at a time when what we really need is straightforward leadership on western water issues." Cooke also suggested that some officials may have preferred a "more ruthless" nominee as negotiations over the Colorado River intensify.

Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, said that while Cooke’s withdrawal is a lost opportunity to have a highly qualified person in the job, it is unlikely to derail ongoing negotiations. She noted that the bureau’s acting leadership has been working hard to chart a way forward and that there are many decision-makers and stakeholders involved, making any one leader’s influence limited in practice.

It is unclear whether the Trump administration is actively considering other candidates for the bureau’s top post. The Interior Department has declined to provide additional information, and the White House did not respond to repeated requests for comment.