Trump's first vetoes of second term reject bipartisan bills
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President Trump listens during a press conference with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 28 in Palm Beach, Fla. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
President Trump has issued the first two vetoes of his second term, rejecting bills with bipartisan support that would have aided a Colorado water project and expanded tribal land in Florida.
The big picture: Trump appears to be using his veto power to settle scores. Although he said his vetoes protected taxpayer dollars, he also made clear at least one was punishing a tribe for joining a lawsuit against his immigration agenda.
Driving the news: Trump rejected a measure to ease payments for a long-planned water pipeline supporting southeastern Colorado and another that would have expanded the Miccosukee Tribe's reserved area in the Florida Everglades, the White House announced Tuesday.
- Both bills swept through Capitol Hill earlier this month.
- To override his vetoes, both houses of Congress would need to vote by a two-thirds margin — a feat rarely achieved. Congress has done it before to Trump, overriding his veto of a defense funding bill at the end of his first term.
Zoom in: The Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act would expand the tribe's land to include part of the Everglades National Park in Florida known as Osceola Camp. It also instructed federal officials to protect structures from flooding.
- Florida lawmakers in both chambers — and across the political aisle —backed the bill. Sponsor Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said it was about "fairness and conservation."
- Gimenez's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment about Trump's vetoes.
- A White House spokesperson referred Axios to Trump's statement on the veto when asked for comment on Boebert's statement.
Friction point: The Miccosukee Tribe joined a lawsuit earlier this year against the immigration detention center erected by state officials in the Everglades called "Alligator Alcatraz," which has been accused of inhumane conditions.
- A judge initially blocked new detainees, but an appeals court reversed that decision and said the center could stay open.
What he's saying: Trump's veto notice accused the tribe of obstructing his immigration policies and said the bill benefitted "special interests."
- The president wrote that "despite seeking funding and special treatment from the Federal Government, the Miccosukee Tribe has actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected."
Talbert Cypress of the Miccosukee Tribe said in a Wednesday statement provided to Axios that the tribe "never sought to obstruct" Trump's immigration agenda.
- "Instead, we have taken action to ensure sufficient environmental due diligence is performed to protect federal restoration investments," Cypress continued.
- He said the measure Trump vetoed "reflected years of bipartisan work " and "was not about special treatment, but about public safety, environmental stewardship, and honoring long-recognized tribal interests."
Zoom out: The water pipeline bill, championed by Colorado's House Republicans and the state's Democratic senators, would help local communities pay for the Arkansas Valley Conduit.
- The project, first authorized under President Kennedy but delayed due to funding, would provide drinking water to communities in southeastern Colorado, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
- But Trump said 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." He added, "Enough is enough."
The other side: Longtime Trump ally Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) replied on X, "This isn't over."
- Boebert, who pushed for the president to release the Epstein files, in a statement to a Colorado news station questioned Trump's motives for the veto, saying she hopes it "has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability."
Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said Trump's veto was "unacceptable," writing, "This isn't governing. It's a revenge tour."
- Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) accused the president of playing "partisan games" and called on Congress to overturn his veto.
Flashback: Trump vetoed 10 bills during his first term. Only one — the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021 — was overridden.
Go deeper: Trump heads to "Alligator Alcatraz" to tout new Florida migrant lockup
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note that a White House spokesperson referred Axios to Trump's statement when asked for comment (not that the White House declined to comment).
