A winter storm won’t delay Trump’s nomination to Congress, the House leader said, according to Reuters
Written by Doina Chiacu
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A major winter storm moving through the United States will not prevent the US Congress from meeting on Monday to officially confirm the election of Donald Trump as president, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday.
“The Electoral Count Act requires this by January 6 at 1 p.m. — so, whether we’re on ice or not we’re going to be in that room making sure this gets done,” Johnson told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” ” in the interview.
Johnson said he hopes they will show up in full despite the storm and encouraged lawmakers to stay in town.
Forecasters called for heavy snow and strong winds from the Central Plains to the mid-Atlantic states, the National Weather Service said. Severe weather advisories have been issued for the eastern half of the state, including tornado warnings for parts of Kansas.
In Washington, snow and ice accumulations were expected to be between three and seven inches (7 to 18 cm), promising difficult commutes and possible closures of schools, government and businesses.
Severe winter weather can wreak havoc on the Washington metropolitan area, which has seen mild winters in recent decades and at times has been unprepared for the accumulation of snow or ice.
Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives returned to Washington on Friday after the winter break and Republicans met on Saturday with Johnson to discuss legislative priorities. Republicans won control of both chambers in the November election.
Some leaders emphasized that they are not thinking about climate delays.
“There is no change in the plan,” said Lauren Fine, communications director for Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The certification process, usually formal, was stepped up four years ago when Trump supporters violently stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden, who won the 2020 election.
Trump has continued to lie that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud. Biden and the Democrats say they will respect the results of the 2024 election and continue to seek certification.
