By Olivia Beavers

WASHINGTON -- President Trump's surprise veto of a Colorado water project sparked a sharply worded complaint from prominent MAGA lawmaker Rep. Lauren Boebert and charges of retaliation from members of both parties.

The measure passed the House and Senate on voice votes, with no objections. But the White House, in one of Trump's first two vetoes of his second term, said the president was rejecting the bill citing his commitment to prevent taxpayers "from funding expensive and unreliable policies." The Arkansas Valley Conduit aims to bring fresh water to the more rural and rocky eastern side of Colorado.

The veto comes as Trump has been pressuring Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis to release Tina Peters, a former election clerk, from state prison, while threatening "harsh measures" if she isn't released. Peters is serving a nine-year term for actions in the wake of the 2020 election, and Trump issued a pardon for her. But the president's powers only apply to federal, not state charges.

"This isn't governing. It's a revenge tour," said Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.) on X. "This is payback because Colorado won't bend to his corruption."

Polis said it is "very disappointing that the president is hurting rural Colorado" and said he and the state's delegation will "continue to fight for this extremely worthy and important project."

Boebert, who represents a district spanning eastern Colorado and spearheaded the legislation, questioned the president's priorities. The avid Trump supporter said in a statement to Denver's 9News that she hopes "this veto has nothing to do with political retribution for calling out corruption and demanding accountability."

She didn't elaborate. But in recent months, Boebert was one of four Republicans who teamed with House Democrats to successfully force a vote on releasing documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over Trump's objections. The president, who called the effort a Democratic hoax, later changed his stance and backed the bill, which passed overwhelmingly.

Boebert didn't respond to an interview request.

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment. Trump vetoed 10 measures in his first term, only one of which was overridden by Congress. His veto Tuesday of the Colorado bill was accompanied by a veto of a measure expanding the land controlled by the Miccosukee Tribe in Florida.

Some Colorado Democrats called for Congress to immediately hold a vote on overriding the veto of the water project when it gets back into session next week. An override would require the support of two-thirds of each chamber.

Boebert noted that many of the people who would benefit from the Colorado project were Trump voters.

"I must have missed the rally where he stood in Colorado and promised to personally derail critical water infrastructure projects," she said. "My bad, I thought the campaign was about lowering costs and cutting red tape. But hey, if this administration wants to make its legacy blocking projects that deliver water to rural Americans; that's on them," Boebert wrote.

Another Colorado Republican, freshman Rep. Jeff Hurd, said he was "deeply disappointed by the president's veto."

The blowup over Trump's veto comes as some Republicans are showing more distance from the president headed into the midterms, even as Trump remains a powerful force in the party and crossing him carries huge risks.

Other House Republicans who backed the Epstein document release have faced strong backlash from the president. Trump allies have worked to set up a primary challenge against Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.). The president has had a public and messy fallout with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), who went from one of his most avid defenders to one of his loudest critics. Greene announced in November that she would step down from Congress in January.

During the fight over the Epstein documents, Trump personally called Boebert. She also met with top officials in the White House situation room, including FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and others. At the time, Boebert thanked the White House officials for meeting with her on social media and wrote: "Together we remain committed to ensuring transparency for the American people."

Write to Olivia Beavers at Olivia.Beavers@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 31, 2025 12:19 ET (17:19 GMT)

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