GOP lawmakers stripped an amendment from a bill Wednesday that would have allowed doctors in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to recommend medical marijuana to veterans for pain treatment in states where it’s legal, McClatchy reported.

The House Rules Committee removed the amendment that would have allowed the action from the bill to fund the VA, stopping it from moving on to debate on the House floor.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) sponsored the bill and told McClatchy that he was “bitterly disappointed” about the amendment being removed.

{mosads}“This is a subject that has gained a great deal more attention and momentum,” Blumenauer said. “More people recognize that the VA has really failed our veterans when it has come to pain management, opioids and opioid dependency.”

Nine Democrats and nine Republicans had also supported the amendment.

A similar measure could still pass: A provision like that killed in the House is included in the Senate’s appropriations bill for the VA and could make its way into the final version of the bill.