Overview
- President Trump returned H.R. 131, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, without his approval, blocking changes intended to ease local repayment for a long-delayed water pipeline in southeastern Colorado.
- The veto message cites concerns with extending local repayment to 75 years and cutting interest rates, noting more than $249 million already spent and total costs estimated at about $1.3 billion.
- The Arkansas Valley Conduit is designed to deliver reliable municipal and industrial water from Pueblo Reservoir to 39 Eastern Plains communities where wells face salinity and occasional radioactivity issues.
- The bill passed both the House and Senate by voice vote, and an override would require two‑thirds majorities in each chamber, though congressional leaders have not committed to holding votes.
- Sponsor Rep. Lauren Boebert condemned the veto and raised retaliation concerns, while Colorado Democrats including Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Governor Jared Polis also criticized the decision; the veto came alongside a separate rejection of a Miccosukee Tribe measure in Florida.