Hands off the welfare leeches, that’s his base.

(Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday threatened to veto a Republican-written bill nearing a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives that would cut food stamps for the poor by $40 billion over a decade and end benefits for an estimated 4 million people.

Representatives are likely to vote on the bill on Thursday. A close vote is expected. The White House threat capped a day of high-decibel opposition by congressional Democrats and antihunger groups who called the cuts harsh and heartless.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says the food stamps program in its current form is a unaffordable burden on middle-class families and can be pruned while still helping “those who truly need it.” Enrollment in the food stamps program has doubled and its cost has tripled since 2004.

In a statement, the White House said lawmakers should instead cut farm and crop insurance subsidies rather than separate millions of people from “one of our nation’s strongest defenses against hunger and poverty.”