Dozens of representatives and senators braved snow emergency conditions to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris despite Capitol Hill being blanketed by several inches of snow.
The high attendance of the joint session to certify the election comes after concerns grew over the weekend that the snow could cause travel problems for members who left town over the weekend, especially after Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a snow emergency Sunday.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) added to concerns about member attendance after she posted on social that “many members” had left Washington ahead of the storm.
“Many members of congress left town this weekend even though they were told to stay,” Greene wrote on Jan. 4. “I’m here and will walk to the Capitol if I have to.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) encouraged members to stay in town ahead of the snowstorm, saying Sunday on Fox News that the election certification would be happening “whether we’re in a blizzard or not.”
Several Republican members stated on social media that they would be in attendance to certify the election despite the snow.
“It may be snowing and subfreezing in DC, but that will not stop me from certifying President-elect Trump as America’s 47th president!” Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) posted Monday morning on X.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) similarly posted, “No amount of snow will keep me from making sure we certify the most important election in American history.”
Ahead of the election certification, a source familiar told the Washington Examiner that House GOP leadership was not expecting problems in reaching the required number of lawmakers to conduct business. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told the Washington Examiner that House Democrats are also expecting full attendance from members, barring any canceled flights due to the storm.
However, the snow did cause hiccups elsewhere. Trump’s national intelligence director pick Tulsi Gabbard’s meeting with Sen. Mark Warner (R-VA) to discuss her nomination was postponed due to the snow.
The certification of the 2024 election comes four years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which resulted in the deaths of multiple people and injured several others. In late 2022, as a result of the riot and pressure against former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed the Electoral Count Reform Act to make it harder for Congress to interfere with the counting of electoral votes.
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Among the changes in the Electoral Count Reform Act were clarifying that a vice president cannot refuse Electoral College votes that have already been certified by states and raising the threshold for voting on an objection to any electoral votes from one House member and one senator to 20% from each chamber.
The effects of the Capitol riot were on full display Monday as well, with Capitol police tightening security and putting up fencing ahead of the certification.
Samantha-Jo Roth and Rachel Schilke contributed to this report.