US president Bush vetoed the $300 billion Farm Bill, saying that it is a tax increase when high food prices are high.
A White House spokesman said that president
Bush rejected it because it increases federal spending. About 2/3 of the bill
would pay for nutrition programmes such as food stamps and emergency food aid
for the needy.
An additional $40 billion is for farm subsidies while
almost $30 billion would go to farmers to idle their land and to other
environmental programmes.