May 13, 2008 5:35PM 

# Veto Override Possible for Farm Bill 

By [Sallie James](https://www.cato.org/people/sallie-james) 

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Further to my [quasi-post](https://www.cato.org/2008/05/08/a-promising-farm-bill-development/) on the farm bill Friday, I may have been premature in my enthusiasm. According to an [article](http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cdp_20080513_6699.php) \[$\] today in Congress Daily, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee Charles Grassley (R, IA) is confident that Congress will be able to override the President’s threatened [veto](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080513-2.html):

> Grassley expects the White House will not push Republicans to sustain the expected veto. If Bush does push support for the veto, cautioned Grassley, he should expect “very weak loyalty in the Congress from his own party.” Bush has said that some Republicans in safe seats who represent districts without agriculture might not worry about offending anti-hunger advocates by turning down the bill’s $10 billion increase in nutrition programs. Grassley said today that such a scenario is the only way he could envision the White House getting enough House support to sustain a veto.

The full conference report, in all its glory, available [here](http://agriculture.senate.gov/) for the strong-of-stomach.

Also alarming: the conference report apparently includes language that would nullify a federal appeals court decision under the Freedom of Information Act that has done so much (via the great Ken Cook at the Environmental Working Group) to shed light on these egregious subsidies. See [here](http://www.mulchblog.com/2008/05/farm_bill_invalidates_foia_dec.php).

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Trade Policy](https://www.cato.org/trade-policy), [Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies](https://www.cato.org/herbert-stiefel-center-trade-policy-studies) 

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