In his opening prayer on Tuesday, Senate Chaplain Barry Black acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win, according to reports.
“Lord, we respect the conclusions of the Electoral College and ask you to bless President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” Black said the day after the electors affirmed Biden’s win, according to The Hill. (RELATED: GOP Senators Acknowledge Biden As President-Elect After Electoral College Vote)
Other top Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, also recognized Biden’s win.
.@senatemajldr: “So, as of this this morning, our country has officially a President-elect and a Vice President-elect… The Electoral College has spoken. So, today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.” pic.twitter.com/4S7Xv7otsH
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 15, 2020
After the prayer, McConnell said, “The Electoral College has spoken, so today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years,” The Hill reported.
“Many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20,” he continued, according to The Hill.
On Monday, Senator Rob Portman released a statement on the Electoral College vote, according to local outlet The Daily Advocate. “In accordance with the Constitution and federal law, the Electoral College cast their votes for President today. The Electors met in their respective state following certification of the results. I think we need to respect this process the Founding Fathers established, and we must respect the will of the voters,” he said.