Written by Doina Chiacco
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that the massive winter storm moving across the United States will not prevent Congress from meeting on Monday to formally certify the election of Republican Donald Trump as president.
“The ballot counting law requires that this be done on January 6 at 1 p.m., so whether we are in a blizzard or not, we will be in that room to make sure that gets done,” Johnson told Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.” “In an interview.
Johnson said he hoped there would be a full attendance despite the storm, and that he encouraged lawmakers to remain in the city.
The National Weather Service said forecasts indicate heavy snowfall and high winds from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic states. Severe weather warnings were issued across the eastern half of the country, including blizzard warnings in parts of Kansas.
In Washington, snow and sleet accumulations are expected to range from 7 to 18 cm, heralding difficulty in transportation and possible closure of schools, government, and businesses.
Bad winter weather can wreak havoc in the Washington, D.C., area, which has seen mild winters in recent decades and has sometimes been unprepared for accumulating snow or ice.
Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives returned to Washington on Friday after the winter recess, and Republicans met on Saturday with Johnson to discuss legislative priorities. Republicans won control of both chambers in November elections.
Other leaders stressed that they were not considering delaying the weather.
“There is no change in the timeline,” said Lauren Fine, communications director for Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The certification process, usually a formality, was upended 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 falsely claim that his defeat in 2020 was the result of widespread fraud. Biden and Democrats say they will respect the results of the 2024 election and continue the certification process.
