Speaker delays swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva
Speaker Mike Johnson has not sworn in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva after her Sept. 23 special‑election win, saying she will be sworn in “as soon as we get back to work” as the House remains largely out of session amid a funding standoff and pro forma days. The delay prompted on‑camera confrontations — Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly accused Johnson of stalling (including an allegation tied to an Epstein discharge petition that Johnson denied), Democrats briefly tried to swear her in during a pro forma session, and Grijalva herself has criticized the postponement as setting a bad precedent.
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📌 Key Facts
- Adelita Grijalva won a Sept. 23 special election; she is a former Pima County Board chair and school board member representing a Democratic-leaning, majority-Hispanic district.
- Grijalva has not been sworn in because the House has had no floor votes since Sept. 19 and has only met in brief pro forma sessions; Speaker Mike Johnson says she will be sworn in 'when everybody gets back,' blaming the shutdown and the House being out of session.
- On Oct. 8, Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly confronted Speaker Johnson outside his office about the delayed swearing‑in; Rep. Mike Lawler joined the exchange and told the senators to vote to reopen the government.
- Gallego alleged Johnson was delaying the swearing‑in to avoid a vote on an Epstein discharge petition; Johnson called that claim 'totally absurd' and said the Oversight Committee is already working on Epstein files.
- House Democrats attempted to swear in Grijalva during a pro forma session; Rep. Russ Fulcher quickly gaveled out amid shouts, with Rep. Greg Stanton yelling, 'This is undemocratic.'
- Grijalva gave on‑the‑record comments to AP criticizing the delay and warning about the precedent it sets.
- The confrontations and the failed swearing‑in attempt occurred against the backdrop of broader shutdown tensions — Senate Democrats had blocked the GOP funding bill multiple times — along with internal GOP pressure to resume appropriations votes and a Democratic split over a proposed one‑year ACA subsidy extension.
📚 Contextual Background
- The United States federal government entered a partial shutdown on 2025-10-01 after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.
- A continuing resolution (CR) is a temporary funding measure used by the U.S. Congress to keep federal agencies operating while House and Senate negotiators complete annual appropriations for a fiscal year.
📰 Sources (4)
Who is Adelita Grijalva and why hasn’t she been sworn in to Congress yet?
New information:
- Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva gave new on-the-record comments to AP criticizing the delay and warning about the precedent it sets.
- Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated she will be sworn in "when everybody gets back," blaming the delay on the shutdown and House being out of session.
- House has not held floor votes since Sept. 19 and has only met in brief pro forma sessions; winners of special elections are typically sworn in on days with legislative business.
- Background details on Grijalva’s Sept. 23 special-election win, her prior roles (Pima County Board chair; school board), and the district’s partisan makeup (Democratic-leaning, majority Hispanic).
Shutdown tensions cause clashes to erupt on Capitol Hill: "You're an embarrassment"
New information:
- Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly confronted Speaker Mike Johnson outside his office about delaying Adelita Grijalva’s swearing‑in; Johnson called the Epstein‑files claim “totally absurd.”
- Rep. Mike Lawler intervened, telling the senators to go vote to reopen the government, then confronted Leader Hakeem Jeffries and pressed him to back a one‑year ACA credit extension; exchange included quotes: Jeffries — “You’re an embarrassment,” Lawler — “The only embarrassment here is you.”
- House Democrats attempted to swear in Grijalva during a pro forma session; Rep. Russ Fulcher quickly gaveled out amid shouts, with Rep. Greg Stanton yelling, “This is undemocratic.”
- Internal GOP pressure grew: Rep. Jen Kiggans urged Johnson to pass her standalone military‑pay bill; Reps. Kevin Kiley and Thomas Massie called for returning to vote on appropriations bills.
- Internal Democratic split surfaced over a bipartisan one‑year ACA credit extension bill from Kiggans and Rep. Tom Suozzi; Jeffries called the proposal “laughable.”
- Lawler pressed Jeffries on whether he would endorse NYC mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani; Jeffries declined to answer.
Tense confrontation between House speaker, Senate Dems caught on camera over shutdown
New information:
- On-camera confrontation: Speaker Mike Johnson confronted Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly outside his office on Oct. 8.
- Johnson stated Grijalva will be sworn in 'as soon as we get back to work' and urged Democrats to 'reopen the government.'
- Gallego alleged Johnson was delaying to avoid a vote on an Epstein discharge petition; Johnson called that 'totally absurd' and said Oversight is already working on Epstein files.
- Rep. Mike Lawler joined and told the senators they voted to keep the government shut down; Sen. Kelly emphasized Democrats are fighting to extend enhanced ACA subsidies.
- Context note: The exchange occurred the same day Senate Democrats blocked the GOP funding bill for a sixth time.