House GOP leaders have scrapped a controversial floor vote on a Democratic measure to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, The Hill reported.
Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters the House instead would vote Wednesday on a resolution to support the agency, the news outlet reported.
“What I found so interesting is the Democrats introduced a bill to abolish ICE ... we give them an opportunity, and they say they don’t want to vote for it,” McCarthy said, The Hill reported.
Last week, McCarthy said he’d bring the abolish-ICE bill to the floor — a move that would’ve forced vulnerable Democrats to take a difficult vote. But Democrats responded by promising to vote “no,” The Hill reported.
“The thinking was getting Democrats on record because it’s a very divisive issue for them,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., told The Hill.
But Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., lashed out at Repubicans for the strategy.
“They never should have brought it up in the first place,” she told The Hill. “I don’t know what they’re doing. They keep changing their minds.”
According to The Hill, vulnerable GOP moderates had already expressed hesitations about taking the abolish-ICE vote.
“I want to see us pass policy, make some changes that affect the entire country,” Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., told The Hill.