• House expected to approve overrides with bipartisan support in unprecedented clash with White House
• Colorado water pipeline and Florida Everglades tribal protection bills both passed unanimously before Trump vetoes
• Senate outcome uncertain as two-thirds majority required in both chambers to overturn presidential vetoes

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — House GOP leaders scheduled votes for Thursday to override President Donald Trump‘s first two vetoes of his second term, setting up a rare clash between the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House over bipartisan legislation that passed both chambers unanimously.

Rare Defiance Of Trump

The House is expected to approve the override attempts with support from both parties, though the outcome in the Senate remains uncertain. A two-thirds majority in both chambers is required to overturn a presidential veto, making successful overrides historically rare.

“It’s unusual for the Republican-led Congress to openly defy Trump,” according to Axios, which first reported the scheduled votes based on three anonymous sources familiar with scheduling plans.

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Senior House Republicans and Democrats generally expect the chamber will approve the overrides, though leaders anticipate some Republicans who initially supported the bills may now fall in line with Trump’s wishes.

Colorado Water Pipeline Veto

Trump rejected the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, a measure to ease payments for a long-planned water pipeline supporting southeastern Colorado. The bill would provide clean drinking water to approximately 50,000 residents in rural communities between Pueblo and Lamar, where groundwater contains high salt concentrations and sometimes radioactivity.

The project was first authorized in 1962 during the Kennedy administration as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert and Colorado’s two Democratic senators, passed unanimously in both chambers.

“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.”

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The congresswoman hinted the veto could be political retaliation, stating she hopes “this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability.” Boebert was one of four House Republicans who signed a discharge petition forcing a vote on releasing Epstein files despite White House pressure.

Tina Peters Retaliation Claims

Trump’s veto followed his public promise of retaliation against Colorado Gov. Jared Polis over the imprisonment of Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk convicted on state charges for tampering with voting systems. Trump called Polis a “scumbag” and said he and the prosecutor should “rot in Hell” for prosecuting Peters.

Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper denounced the veto, with Hickenlooper accusing Trump of “playing partisan games and punishing Colorado by making rural communities suffer without clean drinking water.”

Florida Tribal Protection Veto

Trump also vetoed the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, which would have expanded the Miccosukee Tribe’s reserved area in the Florida Everglades and required the Department of the Interior to protect structures in the village from flooding.

In his veto notice, Trump accused the tribe of obstructing his immigration policies, stating “despite seeking funding and special treatment from the Federal Government, the Miccosukee Tribe has actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected.”

The tribe joined a lawsuit earlier this year challenging the immigration detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The tribe argued the facility could harm the surrounding environment, impacting their ability to hunt and hold ceremonies on the land.

The bill was endorsed by Florida’s Republican senators and passed with broad bipartisan support before reaching Trump’s desk.

Historic Veto Rarity

It’s fairly rare for presidents to exercise veto power, especially when their party controls Congress. Trump vetoed 10 bills in his first term, all during his last two years when Democrats controlled the House. Former President Joe Biden used veto power 13 times.

Both bills cleared Capitol Hill in December with bipartisan support through voice votes, making Trump’s vetoes and the subsequent override attempts particularly unusual during unified Republican government.

A White House spokesperson referred inquiries to Trump’s veto statements when asked for comment on Boebert’s accusations.

Will enough Senate Republicans join Democrats to override Trump’s vetoes, or will party loyalty prevail over constituent interests and bipartisan consensus?

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