On October 8, 2025, a dramatic confrontation unfolded in the halls of Congress, as Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, took their grievances directly to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in an unusually public fashion. Their target? What they described as an unjustified delay in the swearing-in of Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), as well as Johnson’s refusal to negotiate health care measures crucial to reopening the federal government.
The scene, captured on video by Fox News and NOTUS, began with Kelly and Gallego staging an impromptu press gaggle outside Johnson’s office. The senators, clearly frustrated by the ongoing government shutdown and the Speaker’s actions, didn’t mince words. “The guy who works in this office right here is keeping all of his Republican colleagues and his caucus on an extended summer vacation. He will not come back to negotiate with us. We are ready,” Kelly told reporters, as quoted by The Hill. He was referring to Democrats’ demands for commitments on health care—specifically, the extension of affordable health care tax credits—as a precondition for their support in reopening the government.
Gallego, meanwhile, zeroed in on the issue of Grijalva’s delayed swearing-in. The newly elected representative from Arizona had been waiting longer than almost any new member in recent history to take her seat in the House. According to PoliticusUSA, speculation among Democrats was rampant that the delay was not merely procedural, but politically motivated—tied to a discharge petition that would force a vote to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Stop covering up for the pedophiles,” Gallego charged at one point, as reported by The Hill, directly accusing Johnson of stalling Grijalva’s oath to prevent her from signing the Epstein discharge petition. Johnson, visibly irritated, shot back, “This is absurd. This is a publicity stunt.” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who joined the fray, responded sharply to Gallego’s accusation: “Nobody’s covering up for pedophiles, so knock it the hell off.” The exchange quickly grew heated, with lawmakers talking over one another and the tension palpable in the crowded hallway.
For his part, Speaker Johnson insisted there was nothing nefarious about the delay. He told Kelly and Gallego, “We’re going to do that as soon as we get back to work, but we need the lights turned back on, so we encourage both of you to go open the government.” Johnson explained that Grijalva’s case differed from others—such as two Florida members who were sworn in the day after their special election in April—because her election occurred after the House had already adjourned. “Grijalva has not yet had a scheduled date because she was elected after the House was out of session,” Johnson said. “So, I am anxious to administer the oath to her.”
Yet Democrats weren’t buying it. Gallego countered that Johnson was using the procedural delay to block Grijalva from signing the discharge petition on the Epstein files, a theory that had gained traction among party members. According to PoliticusUSA, there was even speculation that Johnson was holding Grijalva’s seat hostage to maintain enough votes to change House rules—potentially raising the number of required signatures on a discharge petition, thus making it harder for the Epstein files measure to reach the floor.
Johnson, however, denied any connection between the swearing-in delay and the Epstein matter. He pointed out that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was already investigating the Epstein case and had obtained materials from Epstein’s estate. “It has nothing to do with Epstein,” Johnson insisted, dismissing the senators’ claims as political theater. “This is a publicity stunt.”
Underlying the confrontation was the broader context of a government shutdown. Johnson had canceled previously scheduled House votes that week, aiming to pressure Senate Democrats into passing a House-passed, GOP-crafted stopgap funding bill. He repeatedly argued that negotiations on health care and other issues would resume only once the government was reopened. “We’re going to have plenty of negotiations as soon as we open the government,” Johnson told the senators, according to The Hill.
Kelly, meanwhile, continued to press the urgency of the situation. “There’s a way for all of us to actually get things done, protect the government workers, extend these affordable health care tax credits—but not when Johnson’s keeping his people out of session, and certainly not while he’s keeping a duly elected member of Congress from Arizona that should have been sworn in by all standards by now,” he said, as quoted by The Hill.
The standoff was emblematic of the current dysfunction gripping Congress. With the government shuttered and tempers flaring on both sides, the procedural delay of Grijalva’s swearing-in became a flashpoint for broader partisan battles—over health care, government transparency, and the handling of high-profile investigations like that of Jeffrey Epstein. The fact that Grijalva’s wait to be sworn in was one of the longest in recent memory only added fuel to the fire, with Democrats insisting that the delay was deliberate and Republicans maintaining it was simply a matter of scheduling and procedure.
As the confrontation wound down, Johnson accused Kelly and Gallego of orchestrating a “publicity stunt” to deflect criticism over the shutdown. “You had a publicity stunt here, now you need to go and vote and reopen the government,” he said before retreating back into his office. The senators, for their part, left the encounter unsatisfied, still demanding action on both Grijalva’s swearing-in and the health care provisions they deemed vital for their constituents.
Meanwhile, the larger questions—about the fate of the Epstein files, the future of House procedural rules, and the prospects for ending the government shutdown—remained unresolved. Both sides held firm to their narratives: Democrats painted the delay as a cynical power play tied to a notorious scandal, while Republicans insisted it was all much ado about nothing, a matter of timing and legislative process.
As the days ticked by with no resolution, the episode served as a vivid illustration of how even the most basic functions of government—like seating a duly elected member—can become entangled in the bitter web of partisan politics. For now, Adelita Grijalva remains on the sidelines, waiting for the moment when the House will finally return to session and she can take the oath of office she’s been promised.