Indeed, the bill included too many things that lawmakers of both parties, from farming regions and big cities alike, held dear, so Mr. Bush was overridden hours after he reiterated his objections.

“For a year and a half, I have consistently asked that the Congress pass a good farm bill that I can sign,” Mr. Bush said in his veto announcement. “Regrettably, the Congress has failed to do so. At a time of high food prices and record farm income, this bill lacks program reform and fiscal discipline.”

Mr. Bush said the bill included too many subsidies for wealthy farmers and “budget gimmicks” to hide its most egregious spending.

Executed without ceremony, the veto was the 10th of Mr. Bush’s presidency, and there was no optimism at the White House that it would stand. The president’s spokeswoman, Dana Perino, conceded as much . “If you look at the vote count, an override is probably likely, just looking at the raw numbers of it,” she said at a news briefing hours before the House vote. She was alluding to last week’s voting, when the bill cleared the House by 318 votes to 106, and the Senate by 81 votes to 15.

“But I do think that members are going to have to think about how they will explain these votes back in their districts at a time when prices are on the rise,” Ms. Perino continued. “People are not going to want to see their taxes increased for farmers that we believe are already well taken care of in the marketplace.”