'Snow Emergency' Descends on Capitol Hill Hours Before Kamala Harris Certifies Trump's Second Term

Congress, and the Kamala Harris-led Senate being, will convene Monday with the purpose of certifying President-elect Donald Trump's electoral victory. But as lawmakers from across the country meet to make the election results official, Trump's own legacy on Jan. 6 is not the only thing looming large— so is a big snow storm.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser declared a weather emergency through at least Tuesday as the Washington region prepares for the winter's first major snowfall, coinciding with the historic certification of electoral results.

"Our priority, of course, is the safety of everyone in our city," Bowser (D) said in a Sunday news conference. "Between the snow and the cold, these are life-threatening conditions."

D.C. schools closed Monday, and Bowser said the government would work in a "modified posture." The region could potentially experience more than half a foot of snow overnight into Monday, which would mark the region's largest snow event since at least January 2022 and possibly 2019, according to The Washington Post.

Bowser also urged drivers to move their vehicles off snow emergency routes, warning that they would be towed starting 9 p.m. Sunday if they did not.

Monday's snow storm provides vivid imagery on a day that now carries a heavy burden.

On Jan. 6, 2021, hundreds of Trump supporters bitter for his 2020 election loss invaded the U.S. Capitol, beating up police officers in hopes of interrupting the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.

Since then, Republicans— led by Trump himself— have rebranded the January 6 rioters as "tourists," despite several deaths, hundreds of injuries and even hundreds of convictions handed down by courts. Trump has also promised to pardon most of those found guilty of the insurrection, rioters that were inspired to go down to Capitol Hill after he encouraged them to "fight like hell" at a D.C. rally hours later. He has also tried to rebrand that infamous day as a "beautiful day" and a "day of love."

No violence, protests or even procedural objections in Congress are expected this time, as lawmakers in a joint session of Congress are expected to have the tightest security level possible, according to The Associated Press.

"Whether we're in a blizzard or not, we are going to be in that chamber making sure this is done," House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who helped lead Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said Sunday on Fox News Channel.