President Bush has vetoed the farm bill, on the same day that administration officials have criticized a major new program in the recently enacted legislation, which could increase taxpayer-financed payments to farmers.
Janesville Republican, Congressman Paul Ryan , says members are "finding out that there's this new provision slipped into the farm bill, which they didn't even know about, that's going to cost billions of dollars in subsidies. And I think that there's a little bit of angst about this." The National Corn Growers Association says the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program has been mischaracterized, and is an important element of reform.
President Bush, calling the bill "bloated" vetoed it Wednesday , as promised. Ryan and the majority of Wisconsin's House delegation voted against the bill. "This farm bill is the equivalent of subsidizing the New York Yankees at the expense of the Milwaukee Brewers," says Ryan.
