White House Signals Farm Bill Veto

By Ryan Grim

(The Politico)  White House spokesman Scott Stanzel today threatened that President Bush would veto the Farm Bill if it comes to him in its current iteration.

"I understand members will be meeting about this tomorrow, so things still may be a bit fluid. But, as it stands now, it is not something the president would support," Stanzel said in an e-mail when asked if the president would veto it.

"More than a year ago, the administration put forward a reform-minded farm bill that met our priorities and made wise use of the people's money. In February, the president said he wanted to sign a good farm bill, but would veto legislation that didn't make needed reforms," Stanzel wrote.

"The farm bill proposal currently being discussed by conferees lacks important reforms the president has repeatedly called for. With farm incomes at an all time high, Congress shouldn't be asking taxpayers to pay for even more government subsidies for farmers. The proposal before Congress would dramatically increase spending, in part by masking additional spending in budgetary gimmicks and accounting tricks. Now is the time to modernize our agricultural policies for the future, but Members of Congress have not risen to this challenge."