Veto Override Means Dollars for City Beach, Park
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

WASHINGTON — The water projects bill the Senate enacted yesterday over President Bush’s veto could bring $18.2 million to restore a Bronx beach and another $10 million for Hudson River Park on Manhattan’s West Side.
The bill also authorizes but does not appropriate $25 million for the construction and restoration of oyster beds on Long Island Sound, and it redefines the New York State canal system to include the upstate cities of Albany, Rochester, and Buffalo.
Members of the state’s congressional delegation hailed the measure’s passage by an overwhelming majority as bringing much-needed funding to projects in the region, while the White House, a bipartisan bloc of senators, and a number of advocacy groups derided the legislation as an overstuffed barrel of pork. The bill, known as the Water Resources Development Act, authorizes $23 billion in funding for water projects across the nation, many of which will be conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The 79–14 vote, well over the two-thirds necessary to overcome the veto, was the first successful override since President Bush took office, and the Democratic leadership said it was an example of Congress re-asserting its constitutional authority.
“For the seven years this man has been president, he’s ignored us,” the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, told reporters at the Capitol. “This was one time he couldn’t ignore us.”
In a statement, Senator Schumer said the local initiatives funded by the bill would aid in commerce, transportation, and quality of life in the city. “The vote today sends the president a clear message that critical projects like these cannot and will not be sacrificed,” Mr. Schumer said. “Overriding his veto is a huge boost for New York’s waterways.”
Senator Clinton was campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday and missed the vote, but she said the bill’s passage “reaffirms our commitment to preserve and maintain New York’s vital natural assets.”
The largest earmark for the city in the bill increases to $18.2 million the funding authorization to re-sand the Bronx’s Orchard Beach, a mile-long stretch of shoreline in Pelham Bay Park that has been plagued by erosion in recent years.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler secured a separate $10 million authorization for the Army Corp to help restore a marine habitat, make safety improvements, and bolster infrastructure at Hudson River Park.
“The Hudson River Park is crucial to the continuing growth of the West Side,” said Mr. Nadler, who represents parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. “I am proud to support the ongoing civic improvement that continues to have a profound impact on the quality of life in New York City.”
The White House said it was not surprised by the override, which was widely expected, and that the bill showed a lack of priorities. “The president is standing up for the taxpayers,” the White House press secretary, Dana Perino, said, according to the Associated Press. “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 confrontation between the Bush administration and Congress offered up a few unusual alliances. Among the 14 senators voting with the president were a freshman Democrat from Missouri, Senator McCaskill, and Senator Feingold of Wisconsin, known as one of most liberal Democrats in the Senate and a man who has introduced legislation to censure Mr. Bush over the administration’s wiretapping program. Joining them in voting to sustain the president’s veto were some of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate, including Senators Brownback, Kyl, McConnell, and DeMint. Those voting to override the veto included Republicans known for bringing home the bacon, such as Senators Lott and Stevens, as well as all of the voting Democrats other than Ms. McCaskill and Mr. Feingold.
In a statement, Mr. Feingold called the legislation ” a flawed, bloated bill” and said it did not go far enough to reform the Corps of Engineers, which was roundly criticized following the failure of the levees in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Because the bill only authorizes but does not appropriate funds, which Congress must do separately, Mr. Feingold and other critics have said it will only add to a substantial backlog of projects for the Corps. Also opposing the legislation was Senator McCain of Arizona, who had made an elimination of wasteful government spending a centerpiece of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. He did not vote yesterday, but he said in a statement the bill was “full of pork projects and unchecked government spending.”
Fiscal conservative advocacy groups were equally dismayed. “We’re very saddened that the veto was overridden,” the vice president of governmental affairs at Citizens Against Government Waste, Elizabeth Wright, said. “It’s a bill that’s filled with pork.”
Told about the $25 million authorization to restore oyster beds in Long Island Sound, Ms. Wright said: “I’m a resident of Maryland. Why should I have to pay for that?” She added: “If New York thinks that’s important, then New York residents should pay for it.”
The Army Corps of Engineers has also been faulted for its environmental record. A spokesman for the Sierra Club said it supported passage of the legislation but that it hoped it would have “made more progress in eliminating destructive water projects.”