House to skip town because of storm

The House is skipping town early because of a snowstorm headed for the nation's capital.

Republican leaders sent a notice to members late Tuesday afternoon announcing that the House would hold votes on Wednesday morning and then depart for the week. 

The change means that lawmakers will vote a day earlier than expected on a stopgap spending bill keeping the federal government open through the end of September. The House had been scheduled to meet on Thursday before leaving for the weekend.

The National Weather Service is predicting a winter storm on Wednesday will dump several inches of snow on Washington and the mid-Atlantic region. The new schedule calls for final votes before 1 p.m. 

The storm could still wreak havoc for Congress — the votes are now scheduled to occur at the peak of the predicted snowfall.

Unlike major Northeastern cities, Washington is notorious for virtually shutting down in the face of even moderate snowfall.

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