WASHINGTON — Reps. Olympia J. Snowe and Joseph E. Brennan criticized President Bush’s veto of the recently passed family leave legislation Wednesday, but they and other supporters of the bill failed to marshal the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto.

“Should workers be forced to choose between their jobs and their families? Should they have to worry about being fired to take care of a family member who is ill?” Brennan asked during a floor speech before the override vote.

Snowe said that Bush’s explanation for not signing the bill ignores the realities of today’s workplace and the diverse needs of workers.

“I suppose that if America had a substantial labor surplus, a declining and healthier elderly population, and an overwhelming majority of one-worker households, then the president’s veto would make sense,” she said.