WASHINGTON, D.C., January 25, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — A U.S. House of Representatives vote to defund Planned Parenthood has been delayed due to the snowstorm that has blanketed the East Coast.
According to a memo sent to representatives, the “severity of the winter storm in the D.C. area” caused the delay. The storm, formally designated Winter Storm Jonas, dumped at least two feet of snow across the East Coast. More than 8,000 flights were cancelled, stranding hundreds of participants in the 43rd annual March for Life in Washington, and road conditions left hundreds more stranded on the Pennsylvania turnpike on Friday and Saturday.
The storm has delayed the House's votes for the entire week, and a Senate vote on a federal judge was pushed to Wednesday from an original vote date of Monday, according to Weather.com's “Winter News” page.
The House vote, which will also repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, will likely take place next week. An effort to override a presidential veto, it is expected to fail; the House needs 50 votes more than the 240 its effort got early this month. Likewise, the Senate was unable to get 60 votes in its December vote, six fewer than the 67 needed to override a veto.
