Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The House and Senate on Wednesday night voted to strike down an objection raised against Arizona's electoral votes after the process of confirming the result of the 2020 presidential election was delayed for several hours due to a siege on the Capitol building by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Senators voted 93-6 and the House voted 303-122 to reject the objection brought by Rep. Paul Gosar of Wyoming, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republicans challenging Arizona's electors and prompting Congress to retire to their respective chambers for debate.
Cruz and his fellow Republican Sens. Josh Hawley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Roger Marshall, John Kennedy and Tommy Tuberville voted to sustain the objection.
However, after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, with some making their way to the Senate floor as members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence were evacuated, several Republicans said they would no longer object to the election results.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.; and James Lankford, R-Okla., said they will vote to certify the election.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., said she would no longer object to the election results in Georgia.
Hawley, one of the first to declare he would reject the election results, said he will follow through with his objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes.
Any objections to each subsequent state's electoral votes would require another round of debates in each chamber.
The session resumed on Wednesday night with Pence condemning the siege that saw rioters enter the Capitol building and the chambers of Congress, prompting a lockdown and delaying the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win for several hours.
"We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today. And we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place," he said.
"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins and this is still the People's House."
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., condemned the crowd as "unhinged" saying their actions would not deter Congress from fulfilling its duties.
"They tried to disrupt our democracy, they failed. They failed to attempt to obstruct a Congress. This failed insurrection only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our republic," he said.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., addressed Americans who may be "worried about the future of this country" following the images from the Capitol.
"The divisions in our country clearly run deep but we are a resilient, forward-looking and optimistic people and we will begin the hard work of repairing this nation tonight, because here in America we do hard things. In America we always overcome our challenges," he said.
Sen. Jeff Merkley tweeted a photo of the Electoral College ballots, saying they had been safely removed from the Senate floor.
"If our capable floor staff hadn't grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob," he wrote.
Earlier in the day, McConnell argued against overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.
"The Constitution gives us here in Congress a limited role. We cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids. Voters, courts, states have all spoken. They've all spoken. If we overrule them it would damage our republic forever," he said.
Then the protesters arrived and the building went into lockdown. Congress called a recess and Pence was evacuated.
The plan had been to complete the 2-hour debate on Arizona's votes, then regroup and continue the process in which Pence will hand sealed certificates of states' certified results from a wooden box to tellers appointed from Congress to read.
Pence earlier said he wouldn't try to upend the electoral vote count to certify Biden's victory.
Pence made his position known in a letter to lawmakers in response to President Donald Trump's false assertions on Tuesday that his deputy has the power to "reject fraudulently chosen electors."
"My oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not," Pence wrote in the letter. "My role as presiding officer is largely ceremonial."
Trump slammed Pence's letter on Twitter.
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!" he wrote.
The joint session of Congress to certify the votes is also typically ceremonial, but, taking their cue from Trump, some Republican lawmakers held up the process with objections.
On Dec. 14, electors from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., cast their votes as determined by November's general election, giving Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris 306 electoral votes and Trump and Pence 232.
Donald Trump supporters breach Capitol, riot over election results
Supporters of President Donald Trump riot against the Electoral College vote count on Wednesday in protest of Trump's loss to President-elect Joe Biden, prompting a lockdown of the Capitol Building. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
The rioters breach the security perimeter and penetrate the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
There were 15 arrests following the breach. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Pro-Trump rioters destroy network video gear as hundreds of others breach the security perimeter and penetrate the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Capitol police stand guard as Pro-Trump rioters breach the security perimeter and penetrate the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
During the riots, one woman was fatally shot by Capitol Police and three others died due to medical emergencies. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Police also recovered two pipe bombs, one at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and one from the Republican National committee headquarters. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A cooler on Capitol grounds was recovered that contained molotov cocktails. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Congress proceedings resumed around 8 p.m., following the breach and lockdown. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A man holds a noose as Pro-Trump supporters riot at the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A man holds a Confederate flag as Pro-Trump rioters breach the security perimeter and penetrate the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Several injuries were reported during the melee. One woman died after being shot. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Rioters clambered up onto balconies and other parts of the Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Pro-Trump rioters clash with law enforcement officers at the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
The protests disrupted the joint session of Congress to certify the election results and put the Capitol on lockdown. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Proud Boys and other right-wing groups were among those who participated in the rallies that grew into a storming of the Capitol. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
The National Guard and law enforcement agencies were brought in to secure the Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A curfew was instituted for the city from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
U.S. Capitol police officers take positions as protestors enter the Capitol building. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Lawmakers were told to use gas masks after tear gas was deployed in the Capitol Rotunda. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
The Capitol riot followed a speech by Trump in which he falsely claimed the election was stolen from him. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
The protesters broke through a police line to get inside the Capitol. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Protesters enter the Capitol building during the joint session of Congress. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Law enforcement officers point their weapons as protesters attempt to break into the House Chamber. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
Rioters break the glass of the main door of the House Chamber that is reinforced with a large piece of furniture. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
A large piece of furniture is carried to reinforce the main door of the House Chamber as congress members (above) carry their gas masks while being evacuated. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
House congress members carry their gas masks as they are evacuated. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
A U.S. Capitol police officer shoots pepper spray at a protester attempting to enter the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress to certify the election results. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Trump supporters climb on scaffolding as they protest the election results in front of the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Pro-Trump protesters climb on scaffolding. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Men step apart from the crowd to kneel. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
Trump supporters breach the security perimeter of the U.S. Capitol to protest against the Electoral College vote count that would certify President-elect Joe Biden as the winner. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A protester waves a flag outside the Capitol. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
Thousands of Trump supporters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Trump speaks to the crowd. Pool Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
Trump said he will never concede his loss to Biden because "you don't concede when there's theft involved." Pool Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
The protests spanned the area around the National Mall. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
The U.S. Park Police said permits for the rally had been approved and amended by organizers to increase the capacity from 5,000 to 30,000 people. Pool Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
Trump also condemned Republicans who have not backed his attempts to overturn the election results. Pool Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
Trump supporters march toward the U.S. Capitol to protest the Electoral College vote count. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Under federal law, January 6 is the date Electoral College votes determining the next president are counted in a joint session of Congress. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A demonstrator wears an American flag around his head as he joins hundreds gathering and praying in protest. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A Trump supporter wears a Trump mask. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
A Trump supporter prays in protest against the Electoral College vote count. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
U.S. Capitol Police exit the building with extra gear ahead of the gatherings to protest against the Electoral College vote count. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Trump supporters gather and march toward the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
Thousands of the president's supporters had packed the National Mall by mid-morning Wednesday, gathering between the Washington Monument and the Ellipse. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
At least a dozen House Republicans and some senators have said they plan to object to the vote count. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
A simple majority is required to uphold the objection in each chamber, but both the House and the Senate must agree to the objection for it to succeed. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Vice President Mike Pence has said he will not interfere with the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Demonstrators gather and pray holding a cross at a protest against the Electoral College vote to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Trump supporters rally near the Capitol ahead of Congress's upcoming Electoral College election vote certification on Tuesday. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Trump, his supporters and some Republicans in Congress are citing baseless claims of widespread fraud in an effort to challenge Biden's victory. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Various groups of Trump supporters announced more rallies this week in support of Trump's baseless claims of election fraud. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones, greets supporters of Trump at the rally. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
D.C. police issued warnings to not bring firearms to the city while they concentrate on protecting houses of worship that express support for Black Lives Matter. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Harry's Bar and the Hotel Harrington, a popular location for the pro-Trump group the Proud Boys, is closed in anticipation of the rallies. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Trump tweeted support of the protesters, saying the presidential election had been "stolen" from him. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Supporters in matching hats rally ahead of Congress' upcoming Electoral College election vote certification. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
There has been no evidence of widespread fraud, despite Trump's claims. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Trump supporters rally at the U.S. Supreme Court. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo