The Water Resources Development Act, also known as WRDA, was a bill passed by Congress in 2007. The bill approved more than 900 projects across the country, including flood control, clean water programs, and environmental restoration. Many of these projects aimed to help communities recovering from Hurricane Katrina. That storm hit the Gulf Coast two years before. Congress hadn’t passed a water resources bill in seven years. Lawmakers from both parties felt these projects were overdue and vital for their home states.
President George W. Bush vetoed the bill on November 2, 2007. He said the bill cost too much money and was not responsible spending. The total cost exceeded $23 billion dollars. Bush believed Congress was approving too many projects without clear priorities. He also pointed out that the Army Corps of Engineers already had a $58 billion backlog of projects, but only about $2 billion a year to work through them. Adding 900 more projects, he argued, would only make things worse for communities already waiting on help.
Congress pushed back and voted to override the veto. The House voted 361 to 54, and the Senate voted 79 to 14. Both votes had solid backing from both Democrats and Republicans. Since both chambers got the two-thirds majority needed by the Constitution, the bill became law without the president's signature. Many lawmakers argued that the projects were necessary. Their communities urgently needed the funding. Senator Trent Lott, a Republican, said the projects were good and justified. This was the first time Congress had overridden a Bush veto. It was also only the 107th veto override in all of American history. Senator Barbara Boxer pointed out that the first veto override happened in the 1840s. This was when President John Tyler attempted to purchase military equipment without first obtaining congressional approval.
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