Overview
- H.R. 131 passed both chambers by voice vote and sought to extend local repayment to 75 years while cutting interest, easing costs for communities tied to the Arkansas Valley Conduit.
- The conduit is intended to deliver reliable water to 39 southeastern Colorado communities serving roughly 50,000 people, where groundwater has high salinity and occasional radioactivity.
- Trump’s veto message cast the bill as an undue burden on federal taxpayers and part of a push to end what he called costly handouts.
- Bill sponsor Rep. Lauren Boebert and Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet condemned the decision, with Boebert suggesting it could be political retaliation, a claim not substantiated by the White House.
- An override would require two‑thirds majorities in the House and Senate and has not been scheduled, as the White House also announced a separate veto of a Miccosukee tribal measure, marking the first two vetoes of this term.