Trump Vetoes Bipartisan Colorado Water Project, Drawing Rebuke from Boebert

U.S. President Donald Trump has vetoed a major bipartisan drinking water project in Colorado, triggering swift criticism from Republican Representative Lauren Boebert — once one of his strongest MAGA allies — who also recently clashed with him over the release of Jeffrey Epstein–related files. The Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) Act, unanimously approved by both the House and Senate, aimed to fund a long-running effort to deliver safe drinking water to 39 communities across Colorado’s Eastern Plains, where contaminated groundwater has posed health risks for decades. The veto was among the first two of Trump’s second term, alongside a separate measure affecting a Florida environmental project.

The move follows Trump’s vow to retaliate against Colorado after the state refused to release his ally Tina Peters, a former county clerk serving a nine-year sentence for tampering with voting machines in the 2020 election. Trump’s earlier pardon applied only to federal charges and was rejected at the state level. In a post on X, Boebert — the bill’s sponsor — condemned the decision, calling it a “completely non-controversial, bipartisan bill” and said she hoped the veto was not linked to “political retaliation” after her push to force the release of government files on Epstein, a move Trump had opposed for months.

In his message to Congress, Trump defended the veto, arguing it would prevent “American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies.” The White House also confirmed Trump blocked a separate $14 million measure tied to environmental protections in Florida’s Everglades, home to the Miccosukee tribe and the site of his shuttered immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” It remains unclear whether Republican leaders in Congress will allow a vote to override either veto.

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