A letter sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson from up to 180 House Democrats urged him to facilitate the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Friday. Grijalva recently won a special election to fill the seat in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, which was previously held by her late father, Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who passed away last month.
However, the House has been out of session this week, and both Johnson and GOP leaders have opposed her swearing-in during a pro-forma session on Tuesday. The House is scheduled to resume regular sessions on October 7.
The letter, obtained by The Hill on Thursday, highlighted that Florida Republicans Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fein were sworn in the day after their special election victories in April during a similar pro-forma session. Additionally, it noted that another Democrat, James Walkinshaw (Va.), was sworn in during a full session on September 10, right after his own special election win.
Grijalva, who described the delay as “very problematic,” emphasized the urgency of their situation during a press briefing. “We are facing government shutdowns. There are members with pressing questions, and no one seems to be answering them,” she remarked.
Additionally, she plans to support a petition aimed at releasing files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once she is sworn in. This petition, spearheaded by Thomas Massey (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), has garnered 217 signatures, enough to bring it to the House floor.
The letter addressed to Johnson stated that the necessary documents have been received from Arizona and called for Grijalva’s swearing-in to take place during the upcoming pro-forma session on Friday. It argued, “By delaying the swearing-in ceremony for Representative Elect Grijalva, her constituents are left without representation during this critical period of government closure.”
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Johnson referred to his statements during a CBS interview earlier in the week, saying, “I don’t have a business on the floor this week, but I intend to do it as soon as everyone returns.” He added, “We need to make sure everyone is here for the swearing-in.” Johnson expressed congratulations to Grijalva on her win, acknowledging her father’s legacy and expressing optimism about her future contributions to Congress.
