Donald Trump Issues the First Vetoes of His Second Term, as Rep. Lauren Boebert Warns Him ‘This Isn’t Over’

President Donald Trump vetoed two bills passed by Congress on Tuesday, Dec. 30, marking the first vetoes of his second term. Both measures were sponsored by Republican lawmakers, including one introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, who was among the Republicans who voted in November to release Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The first vetoed measure was the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, which cleared both the House and Senate by voice vote. Boebert introduced the bill in January 2025. The legislation aimed to help complete a long-delayed pipeline project designed to deliver water from the Pueblo Reservoir to communities in Colorado.

“Enough is enough,” Trump said in a statement explaining his decision. “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.”

Boebert responded on X by writing, “This isn’t over.”

In a longer statement to 9News, Boebert criticized the administration’s decision, saying, “If this administration wants to make its legacy blocking projects that deliver water to rural Americans; that’s on them.” She added that she hoped the veto “has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability,” arguing that Americans “deserve leadership that puts people over politics.”

Boebert was one of 471 House members who voted in favor of releasing the Epstein-related files held by the federal government. She also signed the discharge petition that forced the vote.

Trump has also drawn criticism from Colorado officials in recent weeks over the imprisonment of Tina Peters, a former state election official convicted in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to The New York Times.

Colorado’s Democratic senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, joined Boebert in opposing the veto. Hickenlooper said Congress should “swiftly” move to override it. Bennet was more blunt, writing, “This isn’t governing. It’s a revenge tour. It’s unacceptable. I’ll keep fighting to get rural Colorado the clean water they deserve.”

Trump’s second veto targeted the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, sponsored by Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida. Like the first bill, it passed Congress by voice vote. The legislation would have expanded the Miccosukee Reserved Area to include Osceola Camp, a section of Everglades National Park.

In his message to Congress explaining the veto, Trump said the Miccosukee Tribe had “actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected.”

Tribal officials have opposed the construction and funding of an immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” which was built in Big Cypress National Preserve—land that is home to Miccosukee and Seminole communities.

Congress can override both vetoes with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate.