Bush Vetoes Water Resources Development Act

In a move that was not a surprise to anyone, President Bush has vetoed the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. Bush withheld his approval of H.R. 1495, claiming it is another example of "pork barrel" politics. The Act passed both the House and the Senate with huge margins and bi-partisan support.

The White House issued a press release in which the President explains why he vetoed HR 1495. Bush's first comment was that "this bill lacks fiscal discipline." Bush goes on to admonish the bill for making promises that Congress cannot keep, based on past bills that also promised certain funds to local communities that the communities never saw. Bush points out that the House version of the bill was set at a cost of $15 billion, and the Senate bill called for $14 billion, and the compromised bill between the two chambers is now set at $23 million.

Bush continued to mention that the Army Corps of Engineers and water resource projects around the country are already suffering a backlog, and with the new bill, the Corps will be inundated with new projects creating even more of a backlog. The president adds that HR 1495 does "not set priorities." He claims that his administration has asked Congress to set priorities for those projects that need the most attention, namely New Orleans and the Everglades. He finished his statements with "Americans sent us to Washington to achieve results and be good stewards of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars."

The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 would have been the first WRDA signed since 2000, if Bush had approved it. Before the bill headed to the President's desk, Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi explained on her website that many projects have been held up because no new Act had been passed in so long.

Pelosi furthermore issued a press release in answer to Bush's veto. In that release, she calls on Congress to override the veto in a vote next week. She adds, "By vetoing the Water Resources Development Act, President Bush is attempting to prohibit much-needed investments in our water infrastructure, at a time when many regions in our country face serious threats from natural disasters caused by flooding, storm surge, and hurricanes."

The Water Resources Development Act was passed by the House in April 2007 on a vote of 394 to 25, with 14 representatives abstaining. In May, the bill passed the Senate 91 to 4, with 5 senators abstaining. After passing both chambers, HR 1495 was sent to a committee that conciliated the two versions, and when the newly revised bill was sent back to the House, it passed 381 to 40, with 11 representatives not voting. The Senate passed the revised bill 81 to 12, with 7 senators abstaining. Even with the loss of a few votes after the revision, the huge margin of victory should make it possible for Congress to override the Bush veto.

Sources: The White House, Office of the Speaker of the House, GovTrack