President Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- to Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan in a closed-Oval Office ceremony earlier Monday, the White House said. Normally, such affairs are celebrated before news cameras.

The White House readout of the event refers to Jordan's service in the House and in defense of Trump during last year's impeachment trial. It calls him "an inspiration to freedom-loving Americans everywhere" who "has distinguished himself as one of the most consequential members of Congress of his generation.”

Jordan was among the Republican lawmakers who still objected to the Electoral College certification affirming Biden's victory even after Wednesday's insurrection.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

In the wake of last week's assault on Capitol Hill, Biden was asked if he is afraid of taking his oath of office on the West Front of the Capitol complex, as is tradition, and he said he's not.

"I am not afraid to take the oath outside," Biden told reporters after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, on Monday afternoon.

"I think it's critically important that there be a real, serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatened people's lives, defaced public property, caused great damage -- that they be held accountable. And I think that's a view held by the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in the Congress," Biden added.

Asked then if he's worried that impeachment could potentially delay his efforts to pass additional coronavirus relief legislation, Biden said he's already spoken with members about a way to "bifurcate" Trump's impeachment so he could continue his agenda, adding it's "obvious" the House will move to impeach.

"Can we go half day on dealing with the impeachment, and half a day getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package -- so that's my hope and expectation," Biden said, adding he hasn't gotten an answer on whether that's possible.

Amid threats from both the spreading coronavirus pandemic and of violence in the wake of insurrection at the Capitol, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser at a press conference on Monday urged Americans not to attend Biden's presidential inauguration in Washington next week.

Asked if she was scared of what might happen on Jan. 20, Bowser said, "If I'm scared of anything, it's for our democracy. Because we have… factions in our country that are armed and dangerous."

She urged the public to participate in the ceremonies virtually and announced she has asked Trump for a "pre-emergency disaster" declaration similar to the one issued for the first inauguration of former President Barack Obama.

"This is necessary because the inauguration poses several unprecedented challenges that exceed the scope of our traditional planning processes," Bowser said.

Bowser is also asking the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate a federal force deployment plan and extend the inauguration's special event security period, including the cancellation of public gathering permits -- which would require the cooperation of the Interior Department -- through Sunday, Jan. 24. Additionally, Bowser requested daily intelligence briefings from the FBI throughout the security period.

The National Park Service on Monday morning temporarily closed the Washington Monument "in response to credible threats to visitors and park resources" through Jan. 24.

-ABC News' Quinn Owen

During Monday's brief session, Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to get unanimous consent to force Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, and House Democrats introduced one article of impeachment against President Trump for "incitement of insurrection" in the wake of a pro-Trump mob breaching the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday.

The "incitement of insurrection" article of impeachment was introduced by Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and David Cicilline, D-R.I., along with more than 210 Democratic co-sponsors.

The measure says that Trump has "demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told Democrats they will move forward with an impeachment vote immediately if Pence and the Cabinet do not invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from power.

Hoyer told reporters this morning that "there very well could be" an impeachment vote as early as Wednesday.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

Barry Berke, the veteran New York defense lawyer who helped House Democrats argue President Donald Trump's first impeachment last year, will rejoin the House Judiciary Committee as the panel's lead impeachment lawyer for Trump's second trial, the panel announced Friday.

Berke will serve as chief impeachment counsel, supported by a team of attorneys from the House Judiciary and Oversight committees who helped Democrats make their case to the Senate last year that Trump abused his office by trying to pressure Ukraine's president to dig up dirt on then-candidate Joe Biden.

While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., unveiled a team of nine new impeachment managers to make the case that Trump should be convicted of inciting the Capitol Hill riot that left five people dead, the presence of Berke and the rest of the legal team underscores the unique position House Democrats are in: For the first time in American history, they will have a team of lawyers behind them with experience arguing in a Senate impeachment trial.

Democrats could transmit the impeachment article to the Senate as early as next week, which could trigger the start of proceedings following Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.

There has been no official announcement on who will represent Trump in the trial, but personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Alan Dershowitz, who took part in the last trial, may be on the team, sources told ABC News. Trump favorite John Eastman, who led a failed election challenge to the Supreme Court, could also join the team.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Benjamin Siegel