President’s Veto of Everglades Restoration Funds is Irresponsible

(Washington, DC)  —  Today, President Bush vetoed the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 1495), bipartisan legislation which was approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate by an overwhelming majority. The legislation authorizes approximately $23 billion for more than 800 projects in communities throughout the country, including Everglades restoration, repairing hurricane damage, restoring wetlands and flood prevention.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz, who voted in favor of the legislation, criticized the President’s veto as irresponsible in the following statement:

“The President’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) sends a clear message to Floridian’s that the President does not care about restoring the Everglades. For the first time since the Everglades Restoration Act was signed in 2000, Congress stepped forward to honor the federal government’s commitment to restoring the Everglades. WRDA included an authorization for nearly $2 billion in projects for Everglades restoration. The President’s veto flies in the face of the federal government’s commitment to restore the Everglades and its commitment to be an equal partner with Florida in restoring the Everglades. I will fight alongside my colleagues in Congress to override this irresponsible veto of water resources programs by President Bush.”