WASHINGTON — The House passed a five-year farm bill with a veto-proof majority Wednesday, as most Republicans joined Democrats in defiance of President Bush's vow to reject the measure.

The House vote was 318-106, more than dozen more votes than needed to override a veto. The Senate was set to follow suit today, although vote counts were not yet clear.

MCHUGH BACKS BILL

"I'm not about sending messages," said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., at a press conference following the vote, when asked what message the White House should take from the vote. "We did our job in the House. Whatever decision they make, we'll deal with it."

The bill, which covers farm policy, nutrition programs such as food stamps and rural development, slightly expands the milk subsidy program that pays north country farmers when milk prices are low. And it increases those payments when feed prices are high, for the first time.

Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, supported the bill. In a press release, he cited the dairy and specialty crop provisions, as well as creation of a Northern Border Regional Commission that would invest in economic development projects in the region.

GIVE AND TAKE

The bill — a compromise between House and Senate versions that evolved during months of grueling negotiations behind closed doors — puts somewhat tighter limits on farm program payments to the wealthiest farmers. It boosts nutrition assistance, making those programs available to an additional 10 million people.

Farmers with gross adjusted incomes from nonfarm sources of more than $500,000 would be barred from farm program payments; the income limit is $750,000 for farm-related income. Those limits were too high for the White House and for some lawmakers, who charged that wealthy farmers still would receive government payments at a time when the farm economy is thriving.

It offers new benefits to fruit and vegetable growers, who were long left out of basic farm programs. And it boosts research on cellulosic ethanol, which could be an alternative to corn-based ethanol that has strained corn supplies and helped push prices higher.

It boosts spending by about $10 billion, which is less than either the House or Senate version did in their original versions, said Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte, R-Va., ranking Republican on the House committee. But the White House rejected that argument, saying the real cost is an additional $20 billion, based on government payments if all the provisions are enacted.

The total cost of the bill, which can vary depending on arcane budget rules, was a sore point throughout negotiations as lawmakers sought budget offsets.

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer reacted sharply to the bill, saying in a statement that Congress "passed a bloated, earmark-laden bill that spends nearly $20 billion over its original cost and continues to balance subsidy payments to the wealthy on the backs of the middle class taxpayer."

After Senate consideration, lawmakers' next move is to pass a one-week extension of the current farm bill until late next week, which will give Congress time to act on a presidential veto before current law expires.