Bipartisan Debate Falters Over Removal of Confederate Battle Flag From Federal Land

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
JULY 21, 2015

WASHINGTON — Almost two weeks after House Republicans called for a bipartisan solution to the fight over the Confederate battle flag on federal property, there has been no visible progress, and the issue has unexpectedly paralyzed spending bills on the House floor.

Frustrated House Democrats are now trying to leverage the issue to push new voting rights legislation, forcing Republican leaders to address an issue they had hoped to avoid as they head into the 2016 election cycle.

“We have made it clear that for people who view the Confederate battle flag as part of their heritage, that there is nothing more central to the heritage of African-Americans than the unfettered right to vote,” said Representative James E. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American member of the House. Mr. Clyburn and several other Democrats, including the staff director for the committee charged with overseeing flags and symbols around the Capitol, said they had not heard from Republicans ...

Last week, Democrats subsequently offered to let the appropriations bills go forward without any flag amendments if the House would take up a measure to update the Voting Rights Act. “I don’t know who they made that offer to, each other?” Mr. McCarthy said Tuesday. (Democrats, including Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, held a news conference to announce their offer.) ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/us/politics/bipartisan-debate-falters-over-removal-of-confederate-battle-flag-from-federal-land.html