Trump Torpedoes Boebert’s Water Bill, Sparks MAGA Mutiny in Colorado

Paul Riverbank, 1/1/2026Trump’s veto of a bipartisan Colorado water project sparks rare, fierce criticism from Rep. Lauren Boebert, exposing GOP divisions and raising questions about political retaliation—all while leaving 50,000 rural Coloradans waiting for clean water.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, usually Trump’s most visible cheerleader, found herself in an unfamiliar spot this week — squaring off against the former president. The pivot came fast. Trump had just killed, with the stroke of a pen, a major infrastructure bill Boebert helped shepherd, one aimed at finally finishing the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a pipeline that’s supposed to bring safe, drinkable water to some 50,000 mostly rural Coloradans. Worth noting: not a single member of Congress had objected. Back in 1962, John F. Kennedy signed the original blueprint. After all these years, razor-thin groundwater still plagues the region.

In Washington, both Colorado senators, Hickenlooper and Bennet — Democrats — backed it. In fact, the legislation slid through the nation’s divided capital without friction. So what went wrong on the way to the President’s desk?

Trump, blunt in his messaging, said the numbers didn’t add up. “Enough is enough. My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies,” he posted on social media. The price — nearly $250 million already spent, with another billion dollars projected — struck him as reckless. What really seemed to bother him: Colorado’s local governments have repeatedly missed deadlines and struggled to fulfill their share of funding. For Trump, the bill’s new terms — let the towns pay less interest, and for longer — amounted to a handout gone too far.

Boebert hardly hid her irritation. Taking to social media and speaking to reporters, she asked, pointedly, “President Trump decided to veto a completely non-controversial, bipartisan bill that passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Why?” She didn’t recall any campaign stop in Colorado where Trump swore to block water projects.

Her comments kept rolling. “Nothing says ‘America First’ like denying clean drinking water to 50,000 people in Southeast Colorado, many of whom enthusiastically voted for him in all three elections.” It’s an unusual tone from the congresswoman — she rarely, if ever, scolds Trump so publicly.

And Boebert didn’t stop there. She drew a line between policy and perceived payback, suggesting the veto may have been political retribution. Not long ago, she’d broken with Trump on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, refusing his request to withdraw her support for a measure demanding more accountability over high-profile DOJ records.

When pressed, she pointedly remarked, “And I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability. Americans deserve leadership that puts people over politics.” According to Boebert, the folks hit hardest by Trump’s veto are Trump country — rural, red-leaning communities that have stood behind him through thick and thin.

The fallout didn’t end there. Hickenlooper sounded exasperated as he pushed for a veto override. Bennet, usually less curt, accused Trump of running a “revenge tour” instead of governing.

All this played out as Trump amped up his focus on Colorado with another jolt — praising Tina Peters, the ex-county clerk convicted on election tampering charges. And that’s not the only point of friction: Trump also signaled plans to slash federal funding for a Boulder-based weather institute, another move that some local leaders see as more personal than practical.

Taken together, these scrapes have left even political veterans asking whether the dust-up is truly just about that pipeline or something bigger at work. Boebert’s latest shots at Trump have struck a chord in farm towns and counties where clean water isn’t a partisan badge, it’s a necessity. Her break is rare in today’s Republican Party, which seldom brooks public rebukes of its leader — especially by loud supporters.

For now, the Arkansas Valley Conduit isn’t getting built. Both parties’ Colorado lawmakers insist they’ll try again. Whether this episode is the beginning of a deeper divide within the party, or just one more twist in the state’s history of water battles, remains — as ever in Colorado politics — unfinished business.

Out in Colorado’s southeastern plains, there’s a water crisis few Americans would ever notice — unless their backyard tap ran briny. It’s here, in small towns scattered across the dustier stretches of the Arkansas Valley, that a decades-old promise just hit a wall few saw coming: a presidential veto sharp enough to cut clean through longstanding alliances.Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, usually Trump’s most visible cheerleader, found herself in an unfamiliar spot this week — squaring off against the former president. The pivot came fast. Trump had just killed, with the stroke of a pen, a major infrastructure bill Boebert helped shepherd, one aimed at finally finishing the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a pipeline that’s supposed to bring safe, drinkable water to some 50,000 mostly rural Coloradans. Worth noting: not a single member of Congress had objected. Back in 1962, John F. Kennedy signed the original blueprint. After all these years, razor-thin groundwater still plagues the region.In Washington, both Colorado senators, Hickenlooper and Bennet — Democrats — backed it. In fact, the legislation slid through the nation’s divided capital without friction. So what went wrong on the way to the President’s desk?Trump, blunt in his messaging, said the numbers didn’t add up. “Enough is enough. My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies,” he posted on social media. The price — nearly $250 million already spent, with another billion dollars projected — struck him as reckless. What really seemed to bother him: Colorado’s local governments have repeatedly missed deadlines and struggled to fulfill their share of funding. For Trump, the bill’s new terms — let the towns pay less interest, and for longer — amounted to a handout gone too far.Boebert hardly hid her irritation. Taking to social media and speaking to reporters, she asked, pointedly, “President Trump decided to veto a completely non-controversial, bipartisan bill that passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Why?” She didn’t recall any campaign stop in Colorado where Trump swore to block water projects.Her comments kept rolling. “Nothing says ‘America First’ like denying clean drinking water to 50,000 people in Southeast Colorado, many of whom enthusiastically voted for him in all three elections.” It’s an unusual tone from the congresswoman — she rarely, if ever, scolds Trump so publicly.And Boebert didn’t stop there. She drew a line between policy and perceived payback, suggesting the veto may have been political retribution. Not long ago, she’d broken with Trump on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, refusing his request to withdraw her support for a measure demanding more accountability over high-profile DOJ records.When pressed, she pointedly remarked, “And I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability. Americans deserve leadership that puts people over politics.” According to Boebert, the folks hit hardest by Trump’s veto are Trump country — rural, red-leaning communities that have stood behind him through thick and thin.The fallout didn’t end there. Hickenlooper sounded exasperated as he pushed for a veto override. Bennet, usually less curt, accused Trump of running a “revenge tour” instead of governing.All this played out as Trump amped up his focus on Colorado with another jolt — praising Tina Peters, the ex-county clerk convicted on election tampering charges. And that’s not the only point of friction: Trump also signaled plans to slash federal funding for a Boulder-based weather institute, another move that some local leaders see as more personal than practical.Taken together, these scrapes have left even political veterans asking whether the dust-up is truly just about that pipeline or something bigger at work. Boebert’s latest shots at Trump have struck a chord in farm towns and counties where clean water isn’t a partisan badge, it’s a necessity. Her break is rare in today’s Republican Party, which seldom brooks public rebukes of its leader — especially by loud supporters.For now, the Arkansas Valley Conduit isn’t getting built. Both parties’ Colorado lawmakers insist they’ll try again. Whether this episode is the beginning of a deeper divide within the party, or just one more twist in the state’s history of water battles, remains — as ever in Colorado politics — unfinished business.