More than three weeks after Arizona voters decisively chose Adelita Grijalva to fill her late father’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a political standoff in Washington has left her—and the 800,000-plus residents of Arizona’s 7th Congressional District—still waiting for representation. The impasse, centered around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to swear Grijalva in until the government shutdown ends, has ignited a fierce debate in Congress and drawn national attention to the interplay of procedural rules, partisan tensions, and the ongoing controversy over the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Grijalva, who won a special election on September 23, 2025, to succeed her father, longtime Representative Raúl Grijalva, returned to Washington on October 14 with her election certified and a clear mandate from her constituents. Yet, as she told CNN’s Erin Burnett, she remains in legislative limbo: “I’m essentially a tourist to D.C.” Grijalva described her office as sparsely furnished, lacking staff, functioning phones, computers, or even an official email address. “We don’t have a government email,” she said, according to NPR.
The reason for the holdup, according to Speaker Johnson, is the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 16th day as of October 16. Johnson has insisted that Grijalva will be sworn in when the House returns to regular session. “This is the process of the House, we’ll do it as soon as we get back to business,” Johnson told Fox News. He added, “She deserves to have all the pomp and circumstance that everybody else does.” However, Johnson’s rationale has shifted over time, with explanations ranging from the need for a full ceremonial session to claims about scheduling and tradition.
Grijalva and her Democratic colleagues, however, see a different motive at play. During her campaign, Grijalva pledged to sign a bipartisan discharge petition—led by Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California—that would force a House vote on the release of the Justice Department’s files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The petition requires 218 signatures, and Grijalva’s would be the decisive one. As Politico reported, Grijalva said, “If I was a Republican, I would’ve already been sworn in. And that is not acceptable. They’re afraid of me signing and being the 218th signer of the Epstein petition.”
The Epstein files have become a flashpoint in Congress. Survivors, lawmakers from both parties, and many members of the public have called for greater transparency regarding the late financier and convicted sex offender’s activities and connections. The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, is conducting its own investigation, but the discharge petition is seen as a way to force a broader release of documents—estimated to total nearly 100,000 pages. According to The Hill, all sitting House Democrats and three Republican women—Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace—have signed the petition. Grijalva’s signature would tip the balance.
Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona has been especially vocal, directly accusing Speaker Johnson of stalling to protect powerful interests. “Let’s cut to it: Speaker Johnson is protecting pedophiles. That’s what this is all about,” Gallego said at a press conference, as reported by the Arizona Republic. Grijalva herself has grown increasingly frustrated, telling reporters, “There is no reason other than politics. The people of Southern Arizona have voted clearly, yet more than 812,000 people are still denied their voice in Congress. This delay is not procedural. It’s intentional.”
Grijalva’s supporters point to precedent. Earlier in 2025, Florida Republicans Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis were sworn in just one day after winning their special elections—even during pro forma sessions, when the House is technically out of session and no legislative business is conducted. Virginia Democrat James Walkinshaw was also sworn in promptly after his election. Grijalva, by contrast, has waited more than three weeks, despite her election win being certified and her readiness to serve.
Johnson, for his part, has dismissed allegations of political gamesmanship as “absurd.” He told reporters, “The timing of Grijalva’s swearing in has nothing to do with Epstein and that Democrats are experts in red herrings.” He also cited the case of GOP Rep. Julia Letlow, who was sworn in 25 days after her special election win in 2021, as evidence that delays are not unprecedented. Johnson said, “She deserves to have a full House of members and go down and do the speech and have her family and friends in the balcony. That hasn’t been scheduled because we haven’t had that session yet.”
The standoff has escalated beyond Capitol Hill. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has threatened legal action, arguing that the state is being denied its constitutionally guaranteed representation. In a letter to Johnson, Mayes wrote, “Ms. Grijalva no longer needs a House resolution to be sworn into office. With the House in possession of the certificate of election, it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office.” She warned, “Should you fail to provide such assurance, we will be forced to seek judicial relief to protect Arizona and the residents of its Seventh Congressional District.”
Meanwhile, House Democrats have taken their protest public. On October 14, dozens marched to Johnson’s office chanting, “Swear her in,” and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and House Democratic Women’s Caucus have staged rallies outside the Capitol. At one such event, Grijalva said, “If this has nothing to do with the Epstein files, then swear me in.”
The White House is reportedly applying pressure as well, particularly on Republican women who have signed the discharge petition. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, a first-term Arizona Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, claimed, “They are using this time that they are not swearing in Congresswoman-elect Grijalva to try to put as much pressure as possible on, what I have heard, Lauren Boebert, especially, to get her to come off of that petition so that Adelita would not be the 218th signature.”
For Grijalva, the wait is both a personal and political ordeal. The daughter of a beloved congressman who served for over two decades, she has expressed her determination to follow in her father’s footsteps. “I think he would just be kinda laughing,” she told NPR, “scratching his head at like, my kid is, you know, making a splash.” Yet, the stakes are high: until she is sworn in, her district remains voiceless in the House, and the fate of a high-profile transparency effort hangs in the balance.
As the government shutdown grinds on and the House remains out of regular session, there is no clear resolution in sight. Both sides remain entrenched, each accusing the other of bad faith, while Arizona’s 7th District waits for its duly elected representative to finally take her oath—and for the House to decide whether the Epstein files will see the light of day.
