• Trump vetoed bipartisan bill that passed both chambers unanimously
• Project would deliver clean water to 50,000 residents in Boebert’s district
• Boebert questions whether veto is political retaliation over Epstein files vote

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — Rep. Lauren Boebert issued a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump after he used the first veto of his second term to kill a water infrastructure project serving her Colorado district. The Republican congresswoman, whose political rise was closely tied to the MAGA movement, delivered an unusually blunt warning to the president: “This isn’t over.”

Trump vetoed the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act on Tuesday night despite the bill passing both the House and Senate unanimously. The legislation would have extended federal financial backing for a 130-mile pipeline designed to bring clean drinking water to 39 communities between Pueblo and Lamar in southeastern Colorado.

Presidential Justification

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In his veto message to Congress, Trump declared he was “committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable projects.” The president framed the decision as part of broader efforts to restore fiscal responsibility and end what he characterized as taxpayer handouts.

“Enough is enough. My administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies. Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the nation.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the legislation would cost the federal government less than $500,000. The bill would have given local communities 100 years to repay no-interest federal loans for their share of construction costs.

Boebert’s Pointed Response

Boebert, who sponsored the House version of the legislation, questioned Trump’s rationale and suggested the veto might constitute political payback. In a statement shared by journalist Kyle Clark, she accused the president of betraying his own voters.

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“President Trump decided to veto a completely non-controversial, bipartisan bill that passed both the House and Senate unanimously,” Boebert said. “Nothing says ‘America First’ like denying clean drinking water to 50,000 people in Southeast Colorado, many of whom enthusiastically voted for him in all three elections.”

The congresswoman deployed sarcasm to highlight what she views as the disconnect between Trump’s campaign promises and his veto. “I must have missed the rally where he stood in Colorado and promised to personally derail critical water infrastructure projects,” she stated. “My bad, I thought the campaign was about lowering costs and cutting red tape.”

Allegations of Retaliation

Boebert raised the possibility that Trump’s veto could be linked to her recent stand on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The congresswoman was among four Republicans who signed a discharge petition forcing a House vote on legislation compelling the Department of Justice to release documents associated with the late convicted sex offender.

“I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability,” Boebert said. “Americans deserve leadership that puts people over politics.”

Project Background and Need

The Arkansas Valley Conduit represents the final component of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, first authorized by Congress in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed the enabling legislation. The project has been delayed for more than six decades, primarily because local communities could not afford 100 percent of construction costs under the original funding structure.

Construction finally began in 2023 after President Barack Obama and Congress opened the door to federal funding in 2009, establishing a cost-sharing formula with the federal government covering 65 percent and local entities paying 35 percent. More than $200 million has already been invested in the project.

The pipeline would deliver filtered water from Pueblo Reservoir to communities currently relying entirely on groundwater contaminated with naturally occurring radioactive materials including radium and uranium. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, many Lower Arkansas Valley water systems face enforcement actions for radionuclides or surface contaminants exceeding federal drinking water standards.

Bipartisan Condemnation

Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, who sponsored the Senate version of the legislation, sharply criticized Trump’s decision. Bennet characterized it as “a revenge tour” rather than governing, while Hickenlooper accused the president of “playing partisan games and punishing Colorado by making rural communities suffer without clean drinking water.”

Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Republican who co-sponsored the House bill, warned that further delays risk stranding taxpayer dollars already invested and leaving communities without viable paths to meeting drinking water standards.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called the veto “very disappointing” and vowed to continue fighting for the project.

Override Prospects

Both Hickenlooper and Bennet called for Congress to swiftly override the veto. The bill passed via voice vote in the House and unanimous consent in the Senate, suggesting potentially wide margins for an override if Republican leadership allows such a vote.

However, veto overrides remain rare in congressional history. According to Congress.gov, lawmakers have successfully overridden presidential vetoes only 111 times out of 2,576 total vetoes since the nation’s founding, a success rate of just 4.3 percent.

Will Republican congressional leaders allow a vote to override Trump’s veto of this unanimously passed bill?

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