Storm prompts House to cancel votes

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Another snowstorm poised to choke Washington Tuesday and Wednesday was enough to prompt the House to cancel all votes for the rest of the week, officials say.

"As a result of the inclement weather affecting members' ability to travel to Washington, D.C., this week, there will be no votes in the House for the remainder of the week," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said in a statement.

To accommodate the chamber's voting schedule, the House will meet for five days next week, Hoyer said.

The Senate, meanwhile, planned to vote Tuesday on several presidential nominations.

The weather also delayed Vice President Joe Biden's speech on the administration's nuclear security agenda at the National Defense University from Wednesday until Feb. 18, the vice president's office said.

The National Weather Service said Washington and surrounding areas could receive between 10 and 20 inches of snow beginning Tuesday through Wednesday. A snowstorm dumped about 2 feet of snow on the nation's capital during the weekend.