Photo: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

In late September, Arizona voters elected Adelita Grijalva in a special election to succeed her late father in the U.S. House of Representatives. But the Democratic representative-elect has yet to be sworn in more than two weeks later.

While House Speaker Mike Johnson has continued to cite the ongoing government shutdown for the delay, Democrats believe Grijalva is being blocked over her promise to sign onto a discharge petition to force the House to vote on releasing federal files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. As the chamber remains at an impasse, here’s what we know about Grijalva and the push to get her sworn in as a U.S. representative.

Who is Adelita Grijalva?

A former Pima County supervisor, the 54-year-old congresswoman-elect announced in March that she would run for the Arizona Ninth District seat left open by her father, Raúl Grijalva, who died following complications from his treatment for lung cancer. The elder Grijalva was a well-respected veteran politician who first joined the House in 2003 and once co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Adelita Grijalva went on to win both the Democratic primary and the general election in resounding fashion, defeating Republican Daniel Butierez by nearly 40 points on September 23.

The day after her election victory, Grijalva wrote on social media that she intended to travel to Washington, D.C., the following Monday with the intention of being sworn in, citing the looming shutdown. “We cannot allow Republicans’ dysfunction to jeopardize the economy or block long-overdue accountability. I’m ready to be sworn in and get to work,” she said.

What does this have to do with the Epstein files?

In September, Republican representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky began to pull together a discharge petition that would force a House vote on the release of the Epstein files. The House Oversight Committee has released some files from the disgraced financier’s estate in multiple batches, but Massie supports legislation that would require making public all “unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to the Epstein inquiry that are currently in the Justice Department’s possession. The information being sought includes travel records, internal DOJ communications concerning charging decisions, and the names of prominent individual or entities associated with Epstein.

The petition requires at least 218 members to sign on in order for the vote to take place, a tally that has ticked up in recent weeks despite Republicans largely disapproving of the measure. James Walkinshaw, a Virginia Democrat who took office that month following a special election to replace the late Gerry Connolly, became the 217th signature as he vowed to support the petition once elected. Grijalva was slated to be the 218th member to sign onto the petition after making a similar promise during her campaign. As Grijalva remains outside the chamber, a vote on the Epstein files can’t take place.

Many Democrats have drawn a connection to Grijalva’s delayed swearing-in. For instance, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X, “The government is in full shutdown and the Republicans are refusing to call the House back into session. Want to know why? Because we have secured the final vote on releasing the Epstein Files and they don’t want it out. Call GOP and tell them to swear in @AdelitaForAZ.”

What has happened since Grijalva was elected?

On September 30, House Democrats flooded the typically sparsely attended pro forma session to protest Johnson’s move to hold the chamber out of session. Members sought recognition to try to pass their own continuing resolution and to press for Grijalva to be sworn in. But Republicans presiding over the chamber adjourned the session without recognizing them. The federal government officially shut down on October 1. The House was held out of session the week of October 7, and there’s currently no sign that the members will return anytime soon. Democrats have continued to push for Grijalva to be sworn in at subsequent pro forma sessions, to no avail.

Grijalva did travel to D.C. as promised, but her visit did not go according to plan. The Washington Post reports that the government shutdown forced Grijalva to be accompanied by an escort inside the U.S. Capitol and that she is currently unable to hire staff or use her office, since she’s not yet an official representative. She later returned home to Tucson as her fate remains in limbo.

Has the House ever sworn in a new member while out of session?

Yes, and very recently. In April, Johnson swore in two new Republican Florida representatives, Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis, just one day after they won their special elections. The ceremonies notably took place during a House pro forma session, a brief meeting of the chamber with no scheduled votes.

What has Mike Johnson said?

Johnson has denied the assertion from Democrats that Grijalva is being singled out in any way, suggesting that it’s typical for members to be sworn in during a regular session. He has frequently pointed to the ongoing government shutdown, suggesting that Democrats are to blame for the delay. “The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government,” Johnson said at a press conference last week.

But the House Speaker further confused matters this week, suggesting to a reporter that Grijalva could be sworn in at any time. “We’ll schedule it, I guess, as soon as she wants,” he said. “We’re in pro forma session because there is nothing for the House to do. The House has done its job.”

Johnson also pushed back against the example of the two House Republicans being sworn in during a pro forma session after being confronted by Democratic senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly in a viral exchange.

As @SenMarkKelly and @RubenGallego slam Speaker Mike Johnson for 1) having the House on recess during a shutdown and 2) not swearing in Adelita Grijalva, Johnson comes out of his office and a debate starts 👀 pic.twitter.com/4uOO7HAlHX

— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) October 8, 2025

“They had their families here, they had a scheduled day for the oath of office, and the House was called out of session that day,” Johnson said, referring to the Florida representatives. “They had all their families and friends here, so we went ahead with the process,” he said.

He continued, “Rep-Elect Grijalva has not yet had a scheduled date because she was elected after the House was out of session. So, I am anxious to administer the oath to her as soon as you guys vote to open the government.”

Gallego interjected, asking Johnson how much of the delay could be explained by a possible Epstein files vote.

“Totally absurd. You guys are experts in red herrings and distractions,” Johnson responded.

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