Congressional Resolution Acknowledging Biden as President-Elect Fails to Pass After Republican Opposition

President Donald Trump continues to deny the reality that he lost the 2020 presidential election to President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to earn 306 electoral votes when the Electoral College meets on December 14. By Trump's own evaluation, Biden's 306 votes to Trump's 232 are a landslide win.

Nevertheless, Trump continues to unleash lie-ridden tweets, continues to pressure state legislatures, and continues to deploy baseless lawsuits propping up the fantasy that widespread election fraud—coordinated by Democrats—somehow tipped the election to Biden.

If the goings-on in Congress on Tuesday are any indication, Republican lawmakers are standing with him.

The Congressional leadership's Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies voted on a resolution that—in past elections, when a peaceful transition of power was commonplace and expected—would have been a simple and likely unanimous bipartisan vote.

The resolution would have acknowledged that the committee recognizes Biden's victory and is planning for an inauguration in light of the pandemicy.

The committee's Republicans—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) voted against the resolution, creating a deadlock that struck it down.

The move was an embodiment of Republican lawmakers' fealty to Trump and his doctrine, considering it a viable path forward to preserve the party's dominance—even if it means embracing lies and undermining the integrity of U.S. elections.

Twitter users roundly decried the resolution's failure to pass.

They highlighted the urgency of the moment and that the GOP's capitulation to Trump's lies will render the entire American democratic process illegitimate to Trump's base.

Biden will be inaugurated on January 20th, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. That vote has already happened.