A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
This week, President Trump used his veto power for the first time this term. He rejected two bills that passed Congress with bipartisan support. One bill would have given the Miccosukee Tribe greater control over tribal lands in Florida. The tribe had joined a lawsuit over the immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz. The other vetoed bill would have helped pay for a $1 billion pipeline to deliver clean drinking water in rural Colorado. In each case, the president cited fiscal concerns. Others see political retribution. NPR's Huo Jingnan reports on the pipeline bill.
HUO JINGNAN, BYLINE: President Trump says he didn't like the price tag for the Arkansas River Valley conduit. In his letter to Congress, Trump writes that he is ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity. But many have noted the benefits the pipeline has over surface and groundwater, which is the region's current source of tap water. Here's Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert introducing the bill on the House floor.
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LAUREN BOEBERT: Naturally occurring elements are found in the surface and groundwater in southeastern Colorado, and the water quality is problematic year-round.
HUO: She says this project, which started in the '60s, would make clean water more accessible. Boebert told local television station 9News that the veto might be a form of retaliation.
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BOEBERT: The president never promised that there would be retribution for me taking a stand and holding corrupt individuals accountable on the Epstein list.
HUO: Boebert has been the president's ally, but she also recently bucked his wishes and voted to make public documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here she is talking to 9News again.
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BOEBERT: We're talking about Southeast Colorado, who's overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in the last three elections. And these are not the people that should be attacked.
HUO: NPR asked the White House about Boebert's accusations, and the White House only pointed to the president's letter. But then, Boebert isn't the only official in Colorado that has done things the president didn't like. For example, the president has called the Democratic governor, Jared Polis, a scumbag for not releasing Tina Peters from prison. Peters is a former county official convicted of charges related to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Polis said in a statement that the veto of the water pipeline bill is disappointing and that they will continue to fight for the project. It is unclear whether Congress will try to override the president's veto.
Huo Jingnan, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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