A citywide snow emergency has been declared, exactly four years after President-elect Donald Trump unsuccessfully incited a mob to storm the Capitol in an attempt to block the certification and maintenance of his 2020 election loss. Congress is scheduled to meet on Monday to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory. he is in power.
Four years ago, 147 Republicans voted to overturn the results and reduce President Joe Biden’s electorate, even though President Trump failed to present any evidence that the results were illegitimate.
This time, the Democratic Party has no intention of responding in the same way. They intend to return January 6 to its historical roots as a boring, mechanical event in which the next president is certified without any drama.
“Two months ago, the American people elected Donald Trump to be the 47th president of the United States,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.N.Y.) said on the floor Friday to applause from Republican lawmakers. said in a speech. “Thank you for all the applause. It’s okay. There is no one on our side who will deny the election.”
“People should love America, whether we win or lose,” Jeffries continued. “It’s the patriotic thing to do, and it’s this America that House Democrats will fight hard to preserve because we love this country. America is more important than any campaign, any election, any individual. It’s also big.”
Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, conceded defeat. And she is scheduled to preside over Trump’s certification on Monday, after visiting the Capitol for the oath of senators on Friday.
On Sunday, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a snow emergency, which is expected to last until early Tuesday, raising concerns about the movement of lawmakers who left town over the weekend.
“Big snow is coming to Washington, D.C., and I encourage all of my colleagues to stay here and not leave town,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said on Fox News Sunday. “Because, you know, the Electoral Count Act requires us to do this at 1 p.m. on January 6th. So whether it’s a snowstorm or not, we’re in that chamber and this is We’re going to make sure that happens.”
It is not necessary for everyone to attend the certification process, even if they are absent. And many House Republicans spent the weekend in Washington resting.
In late 2022, the Democratic-controlled Congress will overhaul the certification process in an effort to prevent a repeat of events like January 6, 2021, and make it harder for future presidential candidates to steal the election. A law was passed for review.
Among the changes, the vice president’s role will be clarified and there will be no question that states cannot refuse to count Electoral College votes that have already been certified. The voting threshold for objections to a particular electoral vote tally would also be raised from just one member of the House and Senate to one-fifth of each chamber. It also includes safeguards against injecting “fake electors” into the process.
Unlike in 2021, when President Trump invited his supporters to come to Washington for certification on January 6 and urged them to “fight like hell” in a speech that morning, this time there were widespread protests in Washington. No activity is expected to occur.
Capitol Police and the Secret Service set up temporary fencing around the Capitol for security, and January 6 was declared a “National Special Security Event.” Capitol Police Chief Thomas Munger said the fence will remain in place until President Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:
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