Oy vey!
Posted on 05/21/2008 9:34:59 PM PDT by Grammar Nazi
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House overwhelmingly rejected President Bush's veto Wednesday of a $290 billion farm bill, but what should have been a stinging defeat for the president became an embarrassment for Democrats.
Only hours before the House's 316-108 vote, Bush had vetoed the five-year measure, saying it was too expensive and gave too much money to wealthy farmers when farm incomes are high. The Senate then was expected to follow suit quickly.
Action stalled, however, after the discovery that Congress had omitted a 34-page section of the bill when lawmakers sent the massive measure to the White House.
That means Bush vetoed a different bill from the one Congress passed, raising questions that the eventual law would be unconstitutional. Republicans objected when Democrats proposed passing the missing section separately and sending that to Bush.
In order to avoid those potential problems, House Democrats hoped to pass the entire bill, again, on Thursday under expedited rules usually reserved for unopposed legislation. The Senate was expected to follow suit. The correct version would then be sent to Bush under a new bill number for another expected veto.
Lawmakers also will have to pass an extension of current farm law, which expires Friday.
"We will have to repass the whole thing, as will the Senate," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. "We can't let the farm bill just die."
The White House, almost gleefully, seized on the fumble and said the mix-up could give Congress time to fix the "bloated" bill.
"We are trying to understand the ramifications of this congressional farm bill foul-up. We haven't found a precedent for a congressional blunder of this magnitude," said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman. "It looks like it may be back to square one for them."
A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., shot back.
"Partisan sniping won't solve this clerical error that even the White House failed to catch," said Drew Hammill.
The legislation includes election-year subsidies for farmers and food stamps for the poor — spending that lawmakers could promote when they are back in their districts over the Memorial Day weekend.
The veto was the 10th of Bush's presidency. Congress so far has overridden him once, on a water projects bill.
With Bush at record lows in the polls in the waning months of his term, it was fellow Republicans who joined with majority Democrats in rejecting the veto. GOP lawmakers are anxious about their own prospects less than six months from the Election Day.
About two-thirds of the bill would pay for nutrition programs such as food stamps; about $40 billion is for farm subsidies; and additional $30 billion would go to farmers to idle their land and to other environmental programs.
Congressional Republicans overwhelmingly abandoned Bush in voting to pass the bill last week, overlooking its cost amid public concern about the weak economy and high gas and grocery prices. Supporters praised the spending on food stamps and emergency food aid.
Before the problem with the bill was discovered, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the legislation could make the situation worse for struggling families.
"Members are going to have to think about how they will explain these votes back in their districts at a time when prices are on the rise," she said. "People are not going to want to see their taxes increase."
Bush said the legislation needlessly would expand government. He cited one new program in the bill that would pay more to corn growers and others if agriculture revenue were to drop significantly in the next five years. This program, he said, could add billions of dollars to the cost of the bill.
He added that minor cutbacks to subsidies for wealthy farmers were not sufficient.
"At a time when net farm income is projected to increase by more than $28 billion in 1 year, the American taxpayer should not be forced to subsidize that group of farmers who have adjusted gross incomes of up to $1.5 million," the president said in his veto message.
Wednesday's snag stemmed from an error made while printing the legislation on parchment before sending it to Bush.
Democratic Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, said the section in question — which deals with trade and international food aid programs — was never printed. Indeed, the final, 628-page version of the bill jumps straight from "Title II" on conservation programs to "Title IV" on nutrition programs.
The underlying bill would make small cuts to direct payments, which are distributed to some farmers no matter how much they grow. It also would eliminate some payments to individuals with more than $750,000 in annual farm income — or married farmers who make more than $1.5 million.
Individuals who make more than $500,000 or couples who make more than $1 million jointly in nonfarm income also would not be eligible for subsidies.
Under current law, there is no income limit for farmers, and married couples who make less than one-fourth of their income from farming will not receive subsidies if their joint income exceeds $5 million.
The farm bill also would:
_Boost nutrition programs, including food stamps and emergency domestic food aid, by more than $10 billion over 10 years. It would expand a program to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to schoolchildren.
_Cut a per-gallon ethanol tax credit for refiners from 51 cents to 45 cents. The credit supports the blending of fuel with the corn-based additive. More money would go to cellulosic ethanol, made from plant matter.
_Require that meats and other fresh foods carry labels with their country of origin.
Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Ahh ... Just another SNAFU ... So how’s that universal health care thingy coming along? /sarc
How is it that the doofus Dems are riding a wave of unpopularity but expected to increase majorities in both the House and the Senate? Has our country totally taken leave of our senses?
Gosh. I wonder who finally got around to reading the bill.
I have two acres can I qualify as a farmer? I want $$ for not growing food.
It is because the Democratic candidates are running as conservatives, against Bush.
Try growing hops...at over $6.00 a lb.
Lots of mini breweries in the neighborhood ...not only has the price recently doubled...but good hops are hard to come by.
And you can always make some beer....just to make sure the recipe works ...
The White House presumes that when Congress sends up a bill, that's what they passed. There's no way for the WH to know they didn't intend to jump from one section to another.
Pelosi has proven time and again she is a failure at running our congress. It is an embarrassment to our country.
and they want to run the whole f’en country?????? what absolute morons.....
All of Congress will truly be even worse both politically and behaviorally after mid-January ‘09! This country is truly finished, and conservatives throughout the U.S. should truly be already thinking about what they should seriously do next for both the short-term and for the long-term!
I like the way they are quick to point out that Bush’s approval rating is at an all time low.
Guess the fact that Congress is about 15 points lower than Bush is not supposed to be a factor OR they are always in the teens approval wise....
Add this to the stealing that one paricular vote in the House and this bunch does not appear to be real big on details?
The thing that stuck in my craw about the farm bill was the money given to buy private land from a timber company to GIVE to the Nature Conservancy so we can't touch it anymore. I think it was $250 million in one earmark. So the Taxpayer coughs up money to pay off a timber company so we can never see the land again. I've been searching my Constitution, but I can't find the article that covers this. If someone knows chapter and verse, please enlighten me why I should give money to a private company to purchase land to give free to another private entity. I don't even get to hunt on it.
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I said years ago, this is a one (won) party system.
Pubs=cancer
Dems=heart attack
FWIW
FMCDH(BITS)
IOW - this is vote buying legislation and she is spelling it out.
Buy guns, stockpile ammo, food, communications, and survival supplies. Revolution is coming.
I have to wonder what property rights one would surrender in such a deal and for how long? What if the government declares a "green emergency" and places a permanent ban on any further development or alteration of such "green areas", public or private?
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