Congress Officially Certifies Biden as Next U.S. President

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were officially certified as the next president and vice president early this morning. The joint congressional session to count the Electoral College votes entered a temporary recess during the raid on the Capitol, but it ultimately did not stop members of Congress from fulfilling their duty. It was thanks to some quick thinking by Senate aides that the boxes containing the votes were evacuated along with all state lawmakers. Around 8 p.m., when the building was secured, proceedings resumed as usual. At 3:41 this morning, Biden was confirmed to be the next U.S. president by Vice President Pence. Minutes later, President Trump issued a statement through his deputy chief of staff’s Twitter account where he committed to “an orderly transition on January 20th”. Despite his promise, an emergency order has been extended through the next two weeks in the D.C. area. It’s expected to end after the inauguration.