Vilsack: Economy will suffer without farm bill – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

Vilsack: Economy will suffer without farm bill – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs: "The five-year farm bill, which aids farmers with price protections and subsidies, expired on September 30 after the House faced GOP division over extending the bill. Some conservative lawmakers said the newer version didn't go far enough in reform, while others said the price tag was too high, especially in provisions dealing with food stamps.

House Speaker John Boehner said in September that the chamber would readdress the issue after the election.

The recent expiration doesn't affect existing federal support for the remainder of 2012, but Vilsack cautioned that Americans could see stark changes come 2013.

"When you consider what rural America does: It provides most of the food, a lot of the water, almost all of the energy and fuel as well as many, many jobs connected to what happens in rural areas," Vilsack told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley."

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