U.S. Senate Majority Leader McConnell congratulates Biden on White House victory

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (C) speaks at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Dec. 15, 2020. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the upper chamber of Congress, congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday, one day after the Electoral College officially certified their victory. (Tom Brenner/Pool via Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the upper chamber of Congress, congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday, one day after the Electoral College officially certified their victory.

"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," McConnell said.

It's the first time McConnell has directly acknowledged Biden's win.

Senate Majority Whip John Thune said on Monday that Biden is president-elect once he crosses 270 electoral votes and efforts to challenge Biden's win in Congress are "not going anywhere."

"It's time for everybody to move on" after Monday's Electoral College vote, he told local media.

The electors on Monday cast 306 votes for Biden and 232 for President Donald Trump based on the 2020 election results in their respective states. To clinch the White House, a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes of the 538 in total.