WASHINGTON — The White House is threatening to veto the House version of a massive, five-year farm bill, saying food stamp cuts could leave some Americans hungry.

The House is preparing to consider the bill. The legislation would cut $2 billion annually, or around 3 percent, from food stamps and make it harder for some people to qualify. Food stamps, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, cost almost $80 billion last year, twice what it cost five years ago.

The Senate passed its version of the farm bill last week with only a fifth of the amount of those cuts, or about $400 million a year, with the support of the administration.

The White House said in its statement Monday that food stamps are “a cornerstone of our nation’s food assistance safety net.” The bill, which costs nearly $100 billion a year, would save a total of about $4 billion annually.

Conservative groups have been pressuring Republicans to vote against the farm bill, saying it is too costly.