Pressured by voters on both sides of the issue, the congressman temporized [ˈtɛmpəˌraɪz].

temporize [ˈtɛmpəˌraɪz]
verb

To temporize is to avoid making a decision or giving a definite answer in order to have more time. (With negative connotation)

Temporize comes from the Middle French word temporiser, which in turn likely traces back via Medieval Latin temporizāre, "to delay," to the Latin noun tempus, meaning "time."

English