Congressional Screwup May Force Farm Bill Do-Over

Pages missing from bill sent to Bush
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2008 10:11 AM CDT
Congressional Screwup May Force Farm Bill Do-Over
House Agriculture Committee Chairman, Rep. Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., calls on a reporter during a news conference after the House approved the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.    (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

A paper-shuffling error may force Congress to repeat its work on the $289-billion farm bill already passed—and vetoed by President Bush. The version of the bill sent to the president was missing a section, Reuters reports. That makes the president’s veto theoretically invalid. House Democrats tried to re-insert the segment when voting to override the veto, but Republicans objected. Now no one’s sure what to do.

“We haven't found a precedent for a congressional blunder of this magnitude,” said a White House spokesman. Many believe the entire process should be repeated. But the Senate is going ahead today with its override vote; the Agricultural Committee says a decision about the missing section will be made later. (Read more farm bill stories.)

We use cookies. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Read more in our privacy policy.
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X