On Thursday, the U.S. House declined to override President Donald Trump’s vetoes of two bills, a decision that left both measures without effect even though Democrats and some Republicans voted to overturn the president. The vote reflected how rarely Congress reaches the two-thirds threshold needed to overturn a veto—and how, in an election year, many Republicans chose to avoid a fight with Trump.
The House action marked the first veto override votes of Trump’s second term. Trump’s vetoes applied to bills described as having limited national significance, but the override effort still required broad support in both chambers, where the bar for success is steep.
One of the bills would have allowed local communities in Colorado to finance construction of a water pipeline serving tens of thousands of people. The measure was sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert, a longtime Trump ally who, according to the reporting, has since broken with the president over releasing files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In that Colorado override vote, 35 Republicans joined Democrats in supporting an override. Even with that crossover support, the legislation did not reach the level of support needed to overturn the veto, leaving the pipeline bill to remain vetoed.
On the House floor, Boebert argued that the targeted communities could see their drinking-water costs triple without the legislation, and she said the bill would fulfill a long-standing commitment for the project. Boebert also said she had been speaking with colleagues individually about trying to override the veto but was not sure whether enough members would back it to reach the two-thirds threshold.
Other Republicans from Colorado also pressed for an override. Rep. Jeff Hurd urged colleagues to override the veto, saying the vote was about defending Congress and warning that if Congress “walks away” from a “60-year commitment” mid-project, Western projects would not be secure.
The second bill Trump vetoed would have designated a site in Everglades National Park as part of the Miccosukee Indian Reservation in Florida. That proposal was sponsored by Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez, whose endorsement by Trump was noted in the reporting.
In the override vote on the Florida bill, 24 Republicans voted to override—also short of the two-thirds requirement. The veto message from Trump criticized the Miccosukee Tribe, stating in part that the tribe had sought to obstruct immigration policies supported by voters when Trump was elected, and that criticism became a central part of the veto backdrop.
Gimenez said before the House vote that the legislation would allow an inhabited tribal village to be included in the reservation, which he said would empower the tribe to manage water flow into the Everglades and raise structures within the camp to prevent flooding. Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz urged the House to override, describing the veto as lacking logic beyond what she said was an “interest in vengeance.”
As the override effort played out, leadership statements and individual members’ positions illustrated the political calculation. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said leadership was not urging or “whipping” members on the vote and said he personally would vote to sustain the vetoes, adding that the president’s message “sounded very reasonable” to him.
Other Republicans expressed different approaches on whether to back an override. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he would vote to override and noted that the bills had “passed unanimously” before the vetoes. In contrast, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said she would vote to sustain the vetoes and said her constituents wanted her to stand with Trump.