WASHINGTON — Congress delivered its first override of a veto by President Bush on Thursday, giving final approval to a $23 billion bill that authorizes water projects eagerly sought by lawmakers from both parties.
The Senate overwhelmingly voted to override the veto, 79-14, with a majority of Republicans and Democrats rejecting Bush’s assertion that the bill was fiscally irresponsible. The House had voted to override the veto earlier this week.
“I have complete respect for the president of the United States, and I don’t like to vote against him, but he’s just wrong to veto this bill,” Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said.
The override vote is likely to intensify the battle between the White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the federal budget.
A number of Republicans said that, although they broke with the president over the water bill, they would support his other efforts to rein in overall spending.
“I’m going to be supporting him on most of his vetoes,” said Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., who voted to override. “But in this case, I believe that this bill is in the best interests of the country.”
A Bush’s spokeswoman said the White House was not surprised but was disappointed. “We understand that members of Congress are going to support the projects in their districts,” she said. “Budgeting is about making choices and defining priorities — it doesn’t mean you can have everything. This bill doesn’t make the difficult choices; it says we can fund every idea out there. That’s not a responsible way to budget.”
The Water Resources Development Act authorizes about 900 projects, including millions of dollars to protect the Gulf Coast from storms, restore the Florida Everglades and replace seven Depression-era locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
On her Web site, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the bill would help the state by improving navigation on the Columbia River and improving the permitting process used by the Army Corps of Engineers.
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