President Donald Trump has exercised his veto power for the first time in his second term, rejecting two congressional bills that would have advanced a Colorado water pipeline project and expanded a Native American reservation in Florida.
The White House said on Wednesday that Trump vetoed the measures on Monday, despite both bills receiving bipartisan support in Congress. Overriding the vetoes would require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
One of the measures, known as the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, sought to complete a long-planned pipeline intended to deliver clean drinking water to communities on Colorado’s Eastern Plains. The project dates back to the 1960s, when it was first proposed during the administration of President John F. Kennedy.
In a letter explaining his decision, Trump said the project would be too costly and described it as an unnecessary burden on taxpayers. He said the veto was aimed at preventing federal funding for what he called “expensive and unreliable policies.”
The bill had passed unanimously in both chambers of Congress and was supported by Colorado’s two Democratic senators as well as Republican Representatives Lauren Boebert and Jeff Hurd. Following the veto, Boebert said on social media that efforts to revive the legislation would continue.
Boebert, once a close ally of Trump, has recently broken with the president over the handling of files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She was among several Republican lawmakers who pushed the Justice Department to release additional documents, a move Trump had opposed for months before backing down. Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The veto also comes amid broader tensions between Trump and Colorado officials. The president recently threatened punitive action against state authorities over the imprisonment of Tina Peters, a Republican election official convicted in October 2024 for allowing unauthorized access to sensitive voting system data. Peters is not eligible for a presidential pardon.
The second veto targeted the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, which would have expanded the Miccosukee Tribe’s authority over a portion of Everglades National Park known as Osceola Camp. Trump said the tribe was not authorized to occupy the area and argued that federal funds should not be used for projects benefiting “special interests,” particularly those opposed to his immigration policies.
The Miccosukee Tribe has been involved in legal action against an immigration detention facility in the Everglades, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” A federal judge has ordered much of that facility dismantled, effectively shutting it down.
Presidential vetoes remain relatively uncommon. During his first term, Trump vetoed 10 bills, while his predecessor, Joe Biden, issued 13 vetoes over four years in office.
