Trump Vetoes Bills on Colorado Pipeline and Florida Tribal Land

President Donald Trump issued the first two vetoes of his second term on Tuesday, rejecting bipartisan legislation sponsored by fellow Republicans to fund a water pipeline project in Colorado and expand reserved land for a Native American tribe in Florida.

The vetoed measures, which passed both chambers of Congress by voice vote last month, drew immediate criticism from lawmakers who suggested the decisions stemmed from policy disputes rather than fiscal concerns. In messages to Congress, Trump explained that he rejected the bills to protect taxpayers from "expensive and unreliable policies" and to avoid funding projects for groups opposing his administration's priorities. "Enough is enough," he wrote regarding the Colorado bill. "My administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies. Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation."

The first bill, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, was introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican representing the state's Fourth Congressional District. The legislation sought to...