President Donald Trump issued his first two vetoes of his second term last month — enraging many in his own party as he struck down bipartisan consensus legislation based on his own personal grievances. And now, House Republicans may override his vetoes, with a vote on the matter scheduled for Thursday.
According to Politico, "barring any major, last-minute GOP defections, senior House Republicans and Democrats generally expect the chamber will approve the overrides in a rare rebuke of Trump — though leaders expect some Republicans who initially supported the bills to now fall in line with Trump’s wishes."
The first bill, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, would improve loan terms for a water infrastructure upgrade in eastern Colorado, right in the district of far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert — so vetoed amid Trump's anger of Colorado state officials' refusal to capitulate to his demands to release imprisoned election conspiracy theorist and former county clerk Tina Peters.
The second bill, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to improve flood control in Florida Everglades land near the reservation of an Indian tribe that had the backing of both of Florida's Republican senators, but whom Trump was enraged at for opposing the makeshift immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz."
Boebert in particular, normally a Trump ally, expressed fury over the veto of benefits for her district, accusing Trump of seeking revenge on her for voting to release the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files.
Despite the likelihood of the vetoes being overridden in the House, the Politico report noted, it isn't clear whether the override will have the votes in the Senate. To override a veto, both the House and Senate must repass it by a two-thirds majority.
