House Fails to Override Trump Veto on Colorado Water Pipeline Bill
The vote was 248 in favor of overriding and 177 against, falling short of the two-thirds majority required.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to uphold President Donald Trump's veto of the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, blocking legislation designed to deliver clean water to approximately 50,000 residents in southeastern Colorado.
Legislative Background
The "Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act" had passed the House and Senate unanimously prior to the veto. The legislation proposed extending the repayment period for the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) project from 50 to 100 years and lowering the interest rate on repayment.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the federal cost of the bill at under $500,000, with no impact on federal revenues. Colorado lawmakers emphasized that the bill did not appropriate additional funds for the project.
The Arkansas Valley Conduit is a 130-mile pipeline project initially approved in 1962, intended to transport clean water from Lake Pueblo to the Lamar area for municipal and industrial purposes. Communities in the region face water quality challenges due to naturally occurring salinity or radionuclide contamination in their groundwater. The project was initially estimated at approximately $600 million in 2016, with current estimates exceeding $1.3 billion. Federal funding for the project was initiated under the Trump administration in 2020 and continued under the Biden administration.
Presidential Veto and Rationale
President Trump vetoed the bill on January 4, 2025. In a written statement, Trump cited concerns about shifting the cost burden to federal taxpayers, stating that the bill "would continue the failed policies of the past by forcing Federal taxpayers to bear even more of the massive costs of a local water project — a local water project that, as initially conceived, was supposed to be paid for by the localities using it."
The Trump administration has advocated for increased cost responsibility by state and local governments for infrastructure and disaster recovery.
Lawmaker Allegations Regarding Veto Motive
"We were told that Tina was the reason we couldn't get water." — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO)
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO), the bill's primary sponsor, stated on Friday that the Trump administration told her the water funding was blocked due to the case of Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk who was sentenced for allowing unauthorized access to voting records.
Boebert said the outcome for Peters "would not have been possible without the continued pressure and advocacy from President Trump." Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted Peters' nearly nine-year prison sentence on Friday, ordering her release on June 1.
Some Democrats suggested the veto was in response to Colorado's handling of the Peters case. Others speculated it may be related to President Trump's reaction to Representative Boebert's push for the release of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Lawmaker Reactions
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) described the opposition as political and not based on policy disagreement, noting that the affected region had overwhelmingly supported President Trump in the 2024 election. She indicated a commitment to pursuing alternative legislative paths.
Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) characterized the vote as a test of Congressional commitment to federal promises and framed it as a defense of Congress rather than a defiance of the president. He affirmed intentions to seek other legislative avenues.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) expressed concerns about potential political retaliation from the administration, irrespective of local political alignment, and cautioned against allowing political retaliation to influence legislative outcomes.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stated that leadership was not influencing members' votes on the veto override. He personally voted to sustain the veto, finding the President's reasons "very reasonable," but committed to assisting Colorado lawmakers with the pipeline issue moving forward.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) called the outcome "Washington at its worst" and attributed it to "political games" that would harm rural Colorado. He noted prior House support for the clean water initiative.
Next Steps
The failure of the override attempt necessitates Colorado lawmakers to identify alternative legislative strategies, such as integrating the measure into another legislative package. A unified front of Colorado lawmakers had previously issued letters to both House Democrats and Senators urging continued support prior to the vote.