June 19, 2008

US House again overrides Bush Farm Bill veto

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday (June 18, 2008) again voted to override a veto by President George W. Bush of a 2008 farm bill.

The first time Bush vetoed the five-year farm bill, the document was incomplete because of an error in transmitting the bill to him. The House and the Senate decided to override the incomplete bill rather than start the whole process over. The effect was to enact 14 of the 15 sections of the farm bill.

The section accidentally left out when the bill was first sent to the White House was title three, the trade and food-aid section. Because of procedural rules, Congress could not approve that title separately and merge it with the rest of the bill. So both the House and Senate again approved the entire farm bill, and again transmitted the entire piece of legislation.

Bush vetoed it again Wednesday before the override vote.

The override vote "cleans up the technical problem," House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said.

Bush, in a message sent to the House Wednesday along with the veto, called the farm bill "fiscally imprudent."

"At a time of high food prices and record farm income, this bill lacks program reform and fiscal discipline. It continues subsidies for the wealthy and increases farm bill spending by more than US$20 billion, while using budget gimmicks to hide much of the increase," Bush said.

The 2008 farm bill, though, also provides a disaster assistance programme that farmers may hope to take advantage of because of severe flooding going on in the Midwest.

The Senate must also override the veto to enact the bill.