Tom Latham: “Mr. Speaker, I would just first of all like to say this is extraordinarily unfortunate for the people in Iowa, Nebraska…”

“Mr. Speaker, I would just first of all like to say this is extraordinarily unfortunate for the people in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, everyone in the lower Mississippi delta that the President vetoed this bill over the use of the Missouri River. This is an extraordinarily important issue. It goes to saving lives of people who live along the Missouri River, to saving their property. It goes to how much energy, how much electric power is available during the peak season in the summer coming out of the dams upstream. It has to do with usage on the river as far as navigation which they want to dry up the river basically in the summertime. We have a very important issue with recreation in Sioux City, Iowa, using the marina. Mr. Speaker, I will submit a letter from the bipartisan city council of Sioux City in opposition to the President's position. I think this is an issue which is not a partisan issue. This is simply wrong. The President has signed four previous bills that had this provision in it that today he says he vetoes the bill for, and you wonder why. It has to go, I believe, to an extreme environmental position.”