US House cancels vote on allowing Confederate flag at national cemeteries

House previously voted to ban display of the flag in federal cemeteries

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Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives has canceled a vote on a measure that would affect the display of the Confederate flag in federal cemeteries.

The House on Wednesday voted to ban the display of the flag in cemeteries operated by the National Park Service - the flag measure was part of a Park Service funding bill that was set to have a final vote on Thursday.

But the House canceled consideration of the Park Service bill, Reuters reported. House Speaker John Boehner said he wanted a bipartisan discussion before he moved forward on the bill.

The cemeteries that would have been affected are the Andersonville and Vicksburg cemeteries in Georgia and Mississippi, respectively.

House members considering the ban of the Confederate flag from cemeteries is the latest in a wave of momentum working against the flag, a wave to took off last month with the massacre of nine black parishioners at the hands of a white gunman in Charleston, South Carolina.

The South Carolina legislature this week passed a bill that calls for the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the State House.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has scheduled a ceremony to sign the bill on Thursday at 4 pm and the flag will come down on Friday at 10 am.

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