Defying President Bush, Senate Passes Farm Bill

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a five-year, $307 billion farm bill, sending it to President Bush for what is expected to be his futile veto, The New York Times reported Friday.

The 81-to-15 Senate vote, like the 318-to-106 House vote on Wednesday, attracted broad bipartisan support and received far more than the two-thirds that would be needed to override Bush’s veto, should he keep his pledge to wield his pen, the paper reported.

Bush has said he wants to sharply limit government subsidies to farmers at a time of near-record commodity prices and soaring global demand for grain. Most legislators were not swayed by Bush’s description of the bill as bloated, expensive and packed with “a variety of gimmicks,” the paper reported.

-- NYSSCPA.org News Staff

Posted on 5/15/08