Bush to veto farm bill; White House expects override

The White House said Wednesday that President Bush will veto the recently passed farm bill sometime during the day, but conceded that the overwhelming vote count means a veto override is “likely.”

{mosads}White House spokeswoman Dana Perino could not say for sure when the veto would come, adding that the president would continue to work with members of Congress to try to sustain his move.
That said, Perino acknowledged that the large margins by which the bill passed indicate the veto will not hold.

“If you look at the vote count, I think an override is probably likely,” Perino told reporters.

The bill passed the House 318-106 and the Senate 81-15.

The White House has criticized the amount of farm subsidies contained in the bill, and Perino said that members who vote to override the president's veto will have to explain themselves in their districts.

“This bill is bloated,” Perino said. “It is bad for American taxpayers.”