The 318-106 vote for the five-year bill came despite President George W. Bush’s promised veto. He says the measure is too expensive and gives too much money to wealthy farmers.

About two-thirds of the bill would pay for nutrition programs such as food stamps and emergency food aid for the needy. An additional US$40 billion (euro25.91 billion) is for farm subsidies while almost US$30 billion (euro19.4 billion) would go to farmers to idle their land and to other environmental programs.

Senators planned to begin debating the bill later Wednesday. A rejection of a Bush veto may be even easier in the Senate, where farm states have greater representation than they do in the House. Congress has only overridden one veto, on a water projects bill, during Bush’s two terms.

This measure is not perfect, said the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, who believes it is balanced. “We’ve put a bill together that I think addresses what people are concerned about in this country,” said Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat.

Republicans, however, criticized the mostly bipartisan and popular bill because home-state projects added in an election year. The bill includes tax breaks for Kentucky racehorse owners, extra help for farmers in Hawaii and Alaska, and dollars for salmon fishermen in the Pacific Northwest.

“This bill has been under consideration for a long, long time, and yet still we have earmarks that have been ‘air dropped’ into the legislation,” said Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican, said referring to lawmakers’ pet projects.

Ahead of the House veto, Bush made his objections clear, noting that married farmers who make up to US$1.5 million (euro970,000) still could collect subsidies under the new farm bill. “I believe doing so at a time of record farm income is irresponsible and jeopardizes America’s support for necessary farm programs,” Bush said.

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