Error may force "re-do" of U.S. farm bill veto

By Charles Abbott

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress gave President George W. Bush an incomplete version of the $289 billion farm bill, a mistake that would erase his veto and may require lawmakers to pass the bill again, lawmakers and congressional aides said on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said "a likely option" was to pass a new version of the farm bill on Thursday. Two Republicans said Congress may have to repeat the entire process of sending the five-year bill to the president. A final decision was expected to be reached overnight.

While sorting out the farm bill, Congress may need another stopgap bill to keep Agriculture Department programs running. The latest short-term extension expires on Friday. Congress is scheduled to recess on Thursday for the Memorial Day holiday.

"It looks like it may be back to square one for them," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel, who suggested Congress could clean up the "bloated bill" that it originally passed. "We haven't found a precedent for a congressional blunder of this magnitude."

House Agriculture Committee leaders said a clerical error omitted Title III, 35 pages on trade and food aid programs, from the copy of the bill that was transmitted to the White House. Congress is obligated to give the president an exact copy of bills for approval or veto.

The White House announced a veto of the bill at midday on Wednesday and the House had voted, 316-108, to override the veto when House Republican leaders objected to retroactive steps to restore the trade title to the bill. Most members did not learn of the problem until shortly before the vote.

"What happened here is a serious constitutional question," said Assistant Republican Leader Roy Blunt. Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican leader on the Agriculture Committee, said, "A number of members believe the correct thing is to do the whole process again."

Meanwhile, a Senate Agriculture Committee aide said the Senate was scheduled to vote on Thursday to override the vetoed bill. A decision on how to enact Title III would be made later, she said.