A total of 138 Republicans joined Democrats in the overwhelming vote of 361-54 to overturn the veto – easily exceeding the two-thirds majority required to defeat it.

The Senate, which approved the Water Resources Development Act by a vote of 81-12 in September, is expected to deal the final death blow to the presidential veto as early as today. The WRDA would then become law.

The legislation contains the first water system restoration and flood control  authorizations since 2000 and has the solid backing of the entire congressional delegation of Louisiana – where the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita laid bare the urgent need for coastal restoration and upgrades to flood protection.

“This long overdue bill has bipartisan support in Congress and authorizes billions of dollars to help protect our state from future hurricanes and flooding,” said Republican Congressman and Louisiana governor-elect Bobby Jindal. “The WRDA bill will help bring funding to all corners of the state, and is critical to our state's future.”

Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.)  said the WRDA is needed to halt the disappearance of Louisiana’s coastline – the first line of defense against powerful storms spawned by the Gulf of Mexico. “This bill is long overdue,” he said. “Now the Army Corps of Engineers can continue their work on priorities set by Congress to address our critical infrastructure problems in Louisiana and around the nation.”

The WRDA would authorize $1.9 billion for coastal restoration in Louisiana. It also gives the green light to projects that include 100-year levee protection for New Orleans and the closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Senator David Vitter of Louisiana was one of 20 Senate Republicans who wrote to President Bush last month urging him to approve the WRDA. “Hurricane Katrina and the Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minnesota are two recent examples of the dangers in under-investing in our nation’s key infrastructure,” said the letter.

Sen. Vitter is now confident of a resounding veto override. “This (House) vote is an important step toward finally passing WRDA into law,” he said. “I expect the Senate leadership will quickly bring the veto override vote to the floor in the Senate as well, and we can finalize this important piece of legislation.”

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is equally optimistic. “Our chances look very good,” she said.  

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) chided President Bush for dragging his feet on work needed for the long-term protection of coastal communities. “Two years after Katrina it’s outrageous that the president still fails to understand the need to do all we can to help rebuild and protect the Gulf Coast,” he said.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) blasted President Bush for attempting to kill the WRDA on the basis that it lacks fiscal discipline, while demanding an additional $200 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The president chose to stand in the way of this overwhelming bipartisan legislation, in an attempt to claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility,” he said. “Fiscally responsible people maintain their infrastructure. Fiscally responsible people know that clean water and safe harbors aid our commerce and the health of our people.”

Many staunch conservatives agreed that critical domestic water projects could not be put off any longer. “This bill is right,” said Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) before the House vote. “Let’s override the president. Let’s do something for America.”

The US Chamber of Commerce also strongly supports the legislation.

Meanwhile, those who voted against the veto override said President Bush was only responding to the thumping the GOP took in the November 2006 mid-term elections, when the Iraq war and the spiraling federal budget deficit helped hand both houses of Congress to the Democrats.

“In using his veto pen on the WRDA, the president is exercising the fiscal discipline that the American people demand of this Congress,” said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.). “But the question today is, did the Congress get the message?”

After the House vote, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino insisted that the president’s veto of the WRDA reflected the wishes of American voters. “One thing that the president would like to do is to make sure that he’s on the right side of federal taxpayers,” she said. “And that's what he’s doing with this veto.”

President Bush has berated Congress for developing several bills that he believes are too costly, while criticizing the time it has taken to bring them to a vote. “Considering how eager they are to spend your money, it’s shocking it’s taken so long to do so,” he told an audience of grocery goods manufacturers last week.

President Bush vetoed the WRDA on November 2, his fifth veto since taking office.

If the Senate votes to override the veto as expected, it will be the first time Congress has mustered the numbers required to defeat a Bush veto.

*   *   *   *   *