Republicans defend display of Confederate imagery in Capitol

The move by House Republican leaders comes a day after House Speaker Paul Ryan said he would ban Democratic "poison pill" amendments from being offered to appropriations bills.

A 237-182 procedural vote on Thursday ratified a decision by the House Rules Committee to deny Thompson an opportunity to offer his amendment to a spending bill funding House operations.

Last year, a dispute over displays of the Confederate flag derailed the appropriations process last year, but an amendment to a spending bill banning its display in cemeteries administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this year was easily adopted.

A Pentagon appropriations bill is slated for debate next week, and an amendment targeting display of the Confederate flag at The Citadel in South Carolina may be offered to that measure — if GOP leaders permit.