WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overrode President Bush’s veto of the 2007 Farm Bill by 316-108 votes, and the Senate followed yesterday, voting 82-13. However, the version of the bill that Congress sent Bush for review—the bill he ultimately vetoed—was missing an entire title on trade policy. The clerical error surfaced Wednesday evening, creating confusion about the constitutionality of enacting the legislation without giving Bush the opportunity to review the bill again, in its entirety. At press time, it appeared unlikely that the issue would be resolved before Memorial Day. Bush, along with other critics of the 2007 Farm Bill, say it is too generous with subsidies to wealthy farmers. Several less controversial aspects of the bill, however, will benefit the supermarket industry. Notably, the bill will significantly ease country-of-origin-labeling requirements, scheduled to go into effect in September this year.
Additional Farm Bill Coverage:
The Delta Farm Press — a sister publication to SN under Penton Media — provides further coverage on how the farm bill snafu requires a new round of votes.
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