A bill that would have banned most ongoing uses of asbestos was pulled from the House floor after Democrats and Republicans accused each other of using the bill to influence lawsuits involving the cancer-causing mineral.
The bill, which was pulled on Thursday, had been expected to pass under a procedure reserved for non-controversial legislation. But Democrats, who control the House floor, lost Republican votes needed for that procedure.
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). the Energy and Commerce Committee’s top Republican, and Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), the top Republican on the Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee, accused Democrats of ...