Idaho dairy farmers failed to win farm bill vote
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Idaho's $2 billion milk industry failed to get Congress to pass a farm bill this month with provisions to help dairies mitigate rising costs and volatile markets that have spurred three quarters of losses.
Though a farm bill cleared the Senate, it's languished in the House.
House GOP leaders in Washington, D.C., say they didn't have the necessary votes, with conservatives demanding deeper food stamp cuts and Democrats opposing such austerity.
After Congress quit Saturday, a bill likely won't be voted on until after Election Day.
That means the current farm bill will expire first.
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who represents Idaho's dairy country, pushed for a vote this month.
Rep. Raul Labrador declined to publicly back a September vote, however, saying he wants more-robust spending reductions in the bill.
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