US House cancels vote on measure defending Confederate flag

Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday abruptly canceled a vote on a measure that would have defended the flying of the Confederate banner in cemeteries operated by the National Park Service.

The House canceled consideration of a fiscal 2016 spending bill that would fund the park service. An amendment to that bill, by Republican Representative Ken Calvert, was pending that would have stopped any prohibition on flags decorating graves in national cemeteries.

House Speaker John Boehner said he wanted to have a bipartisan discussion about how to move forward.