WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Senate on Thursday passed a mammoth 290 billion dollar farm bill with a veto-proof majority, which includes subsidies for farmers and help with food bills for the needy as prices rise.
Lawmakers passed the bill by 81 votes to 15, after it passed by an also veto-proof two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
President George W. Bush has threatened to veto the measure, and some top Republicans in Congress oppose it, saying it is loaded with subsidies for the agriculture lobby and is too expensive.
The farm bill includes an eight billion dollar expansion of the food stamp program which helps needy people get more nutrition into their diets.
It also carries provisions to expand biofuels research and development programs, provides disaster assistance aid, and improves shipment of meat which has undergone safety inspections.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton praised the bill, saying it was an "important step forward for farmers and consumers" and would enhance US energy independence and a safety net for family farmers.
National Farmers Union president Tom Buis also welcomed the measure.
"It's taken two years to get to this point and while no piece of legislation is ever perfect, this is a good bill and I am pleased to see such overwhelming support in Congress."
Some Republican holdouts however complained that the bill was packed with earmarks -- funding for lawmakers' pet projects -- and was an example of broken government in Washington.
"The American people are struggling with a high cost of living, whether it's the cost of gasoline, the cost of food, trying to make sure they've got health care," Republican House minority leader John Boehner said on Tuesday.
"And here we are moving a farm bill that has earmarks in it that just don't pass the straight-face test."
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