Senate Upsets Veto of Clean Water Bill, 86-14

The Senate, in a crushing defeat for President Reagan, today completed a congressional override of his veto of popular $20-billion legislation to combat water pollution.

The clean water bill became law after a 86-14 Senate roll call a day after the House, with most Republicans ignoring Reagan’s call for fiscal restraint, voted 401-26 to override the veto. (Story, Page 16.)

Thirteen Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. J. James Exon of Nebraska, voted to uphold the veto. Voting to override it were 54 Democrats and 32 Republicans.

“This is not only a good bill, Mr. President, it is a necessary bill,” said one of the law’s chief architects, Sen. Robert T. Stafford (R-Vt.).

Another key Republican, Sen. John H. Chafee of Rhode Island, called the veto “a serious mistake. . . . I am saddened that the President missed an opportunity to join the Congress in taking an important step toward meeting our common goal of assuring cleaner lakes, rivers and streams.”

Call to Back Up Applause

One of the few veto supporters, Sen. Steven D. Symms (R-Ida.), urged his colleagues to cast a pro-Reagan vote to back up the loud applause Congress gave the President when he called for deficit reduction in his State of the Union address last week.

“There is also pollution of the money supply,” Symms said. “We are piling debt upon debt upon debt.”

In six years in the White House, Reagan has vetoed 61 pieces of legislation and has been overridden seven times. The White House, which said the legislation authorizes $6 billion more spending than necessary, did no heavy lobbying to save the latest veto, lawmakers said.

Supporters of the water quality bill had been warning Reagan that he faced certain defeat if he vetoed the plan. Reagan called the dispute over the legislation “the first great battle of the (budget) deficit in the 100th Congress.”

Backers of the bill were proclaiming victory before it happened.

‘One-Two Punch’

“Congress is going to land a one-two punch with this override,” Sen. Quentin N. Burdick (D-N.D.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said after the House vote.

Sen. George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) said “the House’s overwhelming vote . . . is yet another indication of the American people’s commitment to clean water. The President will learn that he has picked the wrong issue and the wrong time to engage in confrontation with Congress.”