Congress Confirms Biden's Win, Calls for Trump Removal
2021-01-08
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1The United States Congress officially confirmed President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election early Thursday.
2The confirmation process was halted for hours Wednesday when extremist supporters of President Donald Trump attacked and occupied the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
3A growing number of Democratic Party lawmakers and some Republicans are now calling for Trump to be removed from office, 13 days before his term ends on Jan. 20.
4Democratic Party Senate leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, "The quickest and most effective way-it can be done today-to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment. If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress must reconvene to impeach President Trump."
5Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger added, "with a heavy heart I am calling for the sake of our Democracy that the 25th Amendment be invoked."
6The 25th Amendment permits a replacement for a sitting president who cannot perform "the powers and duties of his office."
7Vice President Mike Pence and the majority of the Cabinet would have to declare Trump unfit.
8Then, they would send a letter to the speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate saying so.
9The vice president then becomes acting president.
10Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, is the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
11She joined the call for Trump's removal.
12She added, "If the vice president and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment."
13Several members of the Trump administration, including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the first lady's chief of staff, have also resigned in the hours since the attack.
14Pence, who presided over the joint session of Congress, announced that Biden had won the Electoral College vote early Thursday morning.
15The count was 306 to 232.
16Trump has refused to accept the election results and urged his supporters Wednesday to march to the Capitol.
17However, after Pence confirmed the winner, Trump released a statement.
18He said, "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th."
19The statement was posted on the Twitter account of a presidential assistant.
20Twitter and Facebook had suspended Trump's personal accounts following the violence at the Capitol.
21On Wednesday, a pro-Trump mob of thousands marched to the Capitol after Trump spoke to the group near the White House.
22The mob broke through metal barriers, pushed past police officers, broke windows and climbed up the sides of the building.
23As lawmakers were led to safety, the rioters marched through the famous Rotunda area.
24They carried signs and shouted that Trump had won the election.
25Police officers blocked the door to the House of Representatives.
26The violence resulted in four deaths including one rioter who was shot inside the Capitol.
27Lawmakers returned to work Wednesday night, after the Capitol was secured.
28Pence reopened the Senate, telling the attackers, "You did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. This is still the people's house."
29Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell added, "They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed."
30The riots led several Republicans to drop their expected objections to electors for Biden.
31Senator Mitt Romney of Utah was the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election.
32He blamed Trump for the attack.
33"What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the president of the United States, " he said, adding, "The best way we could show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth."
34I'm Caty Weaver.
1The United States Congress officially confirmed President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election early Thursday. The confirmation process was halted for hours Wednesday when extremist supporters of President Donald Trump attacked and occupied the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. 2Resignations, calls for Trump removal 3A growing number of Democratic Party lawmakers and some Republicans are now calling for Trump to be removed from office, 13 days before his term ends on Jan. 20. 4Democratic Party Senate leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, "The quickest and most effective way-it can be done today-to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment. If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress must reconvene to impeach President Trump." 5Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger added, "with a heavy heart I am calling for the sake of our Democracy that the 25th Amendment be invoked." 6The 25th Amendment permits a replacement for a sitting president who cannot perform "the powers and duties of his office." 7Vice President Mike Pence and the majority of the Cabinet would have to declare Trump unfit. Then, they would send a letter to the speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate saying so. The vice president then becomes acting president. 8Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. She joined the call for Trump's removal. She added, "If the vice president and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment." 9Several members of the Trump administration, including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the first lady's chief of staff, have also resigned in the hours since the attack. 10Trump agrees to "orderly transition" 11Pence, who presided over the joint session of Congress, announced that Biden had won the Electoral College vote early Thursday morning. The count was 306 to 232. 12Trump has refused to accept the election results and urged his supporters Wednesday to march to the Capitol. However, after Pence confirmed the winner, Trump released a statement. 13He said, "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th." 14The statement was posted on the Twitter account of a presidential assistant. Twitter and Facebook had suspended Trump's personal accounts following the violence at the Capitol. 15Trump supporters halted vote count 16On Wednesday, a pro-Trump mob of thousands marched to the Capitol after Trump spoke to the group near the White House. The mob broke through metal barriers, pushed past police officers, broke windows and climbed up the sides of the building. 17As lawmakers were led to safety, the rioters marched through the famous Rotunda area. They carried signs and shouted that Trump had won the election. Police officers blocked the door to the House of Representatives. The violence resulted in four deaths including one rioter who was shot inside the Capitol. 18Lawmakers returned to work Wednesday night, after the Capitol was secured. Pence reopened the Senate, telling the attackers, "You did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. This is still the people's house." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell added, "They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed." 19The riots led several Republicans to drop their expected objections to electors for Biden. 20Senator Mitt Romney of Utah was the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. He blamed Trump for the attack. 21"What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the president of the United States, " he said, adding, "The best way we could show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth." 22I'm Caty Weaver. 23Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26reconvene - v. to meet again after a break 27bear out - phrasal verb, to show that something is true 28disrupt - v. to interrupt an activity 29insurrection - n. a usually violent attempt to take control of the government 30upset - adj. angry or unhappy