President Donald Trump has vetoed the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert that aimed to provide safe drinking water to roughly 50,000 residents in rural Colorado. The measure passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.
The bill focused on the long-delayed Arkansas Valley Conduit project, which would deliver reliable municipal and industrial water to approximately 39 communities on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, where groundwater supplies often contain high salinity and other contaminants.
In a formal veto message, Trump said the legislation would expand federal funding and alter repayment terms, imposing costly and “unreliable” obligations on taxpayers. “My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies,” he wrote.
Boebert criticized the veto, calling the bill “completely non-controversial” and emphasizing its unanimous passage in Congress. In comments to journalist Kyle Clark, she said she “sincerely hoped” the veto was not politically motivated and pledged to continue advocating for her constituents.
“Because nothing says ‘America First’ like denying clean drinking water to 50,000 people — many of whom enthusiastically voted for him,” Boebert said.
Clark noted that Trump had previously suggested Colorado could face retaliation following the conviction of his ally Tina Peters.
Peters, a former Mesa County clerk, was sentenced in October 2024 to nine years in prison for state felony convictions stemming from a 2021 breach of county voting equipment. A jury convicted her in August 2024 on seven of 10 charges, including four felonies, related to an unauthorized effort to access and copy sensitive election data in pursuit of unfounded allegations that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen.
Trump announced a “full pardon” for Peters on Dec. 11. However, Colorado officials, including Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser, rejected the move, noting that presidential pardons do not apply to state-level convictions.
Trump’s veto message made no reference to Peters and cited fiscal concerns as the sole justification.
The Arkansas Valley Conduit bill’s unanimous passage could provide enough support for Congress to override the veto, though such an effort would depend on whether Republican leadership allows a vote. Boebert said she has discussed that possibility with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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Why should taxpayers pay for it? Colorado can pay for it. They certainly have dropped lots of dollars on illegals.
Why should we as taxpayers, have the burden of paying what Colorado should pay for?
He’s my president. He gets to decide on what deserves veto and what doesn’t.