President Donald Trump executed the initial vetoes of his subsequent term on Tuesday, rejecting legislation aimed at facilitating two bipartisan infrastructure initiatives in Colorado and Florida.
Trump’s disapproval of the Colorado legislation, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, which Congress unanimously sanctioned in December, provoked outrage among the state’s legislators. This legislation would lessen the financial contributions local areas must make to the federal government for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a pipeline set to deliver clean drinking water to rural residents of Colorado.
In a communication to Congress following the veto, Trump stated that the bill would “perpetuate the unsuccessful policies of the past by compelling Federal taxpayers to shoulder even more of the enormous expenses of a local water initiative — a local water initiative that was originally intended to be financed by the localities utilizing it.”
“This is too much. My administration is dedicated to safeguarding American taxpayers from underwriting costly and unreliable policies,” he declared.
Bipartisan legislators from Colorado who advocated for the bill were incensed after the veto, pledging that Congress will successfully overturn it. Some contended that Trump is fulfilling his promise for retaliation after Colorado declined to release Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted last year of offenses related to the infringement of voting machines post the 2020 election.
Earlier this year, Trump cautioned in a Truth Social post that if she was not freed, he would “take severe actions!!!”
Trump granted a pardon to Peters in December, yet it was largely symbolic as Peters was convicted in a state court.
“This isn’t governance. It’s a vengeance tour,” commented Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who is also campaigning for Colorado governor, in a post to X. “It’s intolerable. I will continue to fight for rural Colorado to obtain the clean water they rightfully deserve.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., also asserted that Trump’s veto was politically motivated.
“Donald Trump is engaging in partisan schemes and penalizing Colorado by making rural areas endure a lack of clean drinking water,” Hickenlooper stated on X. “Congress should quickly reverse this veto.”
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, a loyal Trump supporter, indicated on her X account that “This isn’t finished.”
In a statement she provided to NBC-affiliate KUSA in Colorado, Boebert expressed hope that this veto isn’t related to political retribution for exposing corruption and demanding accountability.
Boebert was among the Republicans who collaborated with Democrats in pushing for the disclosure of files tied to infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump did not mention Peters in his justification for rejecting the legislation. However, on Wednesday, he released a Truth Social post stating, “God Bless Tina Peters, who is now, for two years out of nine, imprisoned in a Colorado Maximum Security Prison.”
“Challenging to wish her a Happy New Year, but to the Scoundrel Governor and the outrageous ‘Republican’ (RINO!) DA, who did this to her (nothing happens to the Dems and their phony Mail-In Ballot System that prevents a Republican from winning an otherwise very winnable State!), I wish them nothing but the worst. May they rot in Hell,” wrote the President.
Congress’ unanimous endorsement of the bill indicates that it may possess enough votes to counter Trump’s veto if GOP leadership in both chambers permits it. A two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate would be required to overturn the veto.
Rep. Jeff Hurd, another Colorado Republican, remarked in a post to X that he will “persist in advocating for rural Colorado by collaborating across party lines to realign this project and guarantee our communities are not neglected.”
CNBC has contacted House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office to inquire if he will permit the chamber to override the veto.
The Florida legislation Trump vetoed, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, also received Congressional approval via voice vote. This bill was intended to extend the Miccosukee Reserved Area to encompass a region known as the Osecola Camp, a part of the Everglades National Park.
Trump stated in a message to Congress that he vetoed the legislation partly to stop “American taxpayers from financing initiatives for special interests, particularly those not aligned with my Administration’s policy of expelling violent criminal illegal immigrants from the nation.”
During Trump’s initial term, he issued 10 vetoes in total. His first veto occurred in 2019, two years into his term, aimed at thwarting a Congressional move to terminate a national emergency at the southern border. Congress failed to override that veto.
