I was elected 6 weeks ago. Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear me in.

I was elected 6 weeks ago. Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear me in. It’s time for House Speaker Mike Johnson to end his vacation and get back to the work that the American people elected us to do.

Show Caption Hide Caption Adelita Grijalva swearing-in to Congress delay sets record Arizona Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva has set a modern-day record for the longest wait to be sworn into Congress after winning a special election. Fox - 10 Phoenix

Six weeks ago, I was elected to Congress. I'm still waiting to be sworn in.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recess of the U.S. House of Representatives during a time of grave national crises is shockingly irresponsible. House Republicans have been on vacation for six weeks while our economy crumbles, federal workers go without paychecks, health care premiums skyrocket and funding for food stamps dwindles. This is negligent and cruel.

Millions of Americans will suffer if these issues are not immediately addressed, and thanks to Speaker Johnson, the House remains in recess. While Republicans refuse to do their job:

As these crises unfold and intensify, Speaker Johnson refuses to swear me into office, an unprecedented and starkly undemocratic position that sets a very dangerous precedent and deprives 813,000 Arizonans of the congressional representation they deserve.

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Mike Johnson sets a dangerous precedent by blocking my swearing in

The voters of Arizona’s 7th Congressional District – which encompasses six counties, four sovereign tribal nations and 300 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border – elected me by a margin of nearly 40 percentage points on Sept. 23. Six weeks later, I have now waited longer than any representative in recent history to be sworn in following a special election.

Why is Speaker Johnson taking the unprecedented step of refusing to swear me in? The only notable difference between me and others elected during special elections in 2025 who were promptly sworn in is that I would be the decisive 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a onetime friend of President Donald Trump.

This isn't the first time Speaker Johnson has obstructed the work of the House. Speaker Johnson previously sent the House into an early summer recess, conveniently avoiding action on releasing the Epstein files.

Opinion: No wonder Trump is nonchalant about shutdown. It delays Epstein files' release.

Speaker Johnson, of course, denies this association. He has provided a litany of excuses that seem to change by the day, including the claim that he is following the “Pelosi precedent” in waiting for Congress to return to regular session to swear me in. However, unlike the speaker emerita, Speaker Johnson appears to be intentionally canceling votes to prolong a manufactured “recess” and prevent me from being sworn in.

He conveniently made an exception for two of his Republican colleagues, who were sworn in during pro forma sessions a day after their special elections in April. Speaker Johnson also had the chance to swear me in before the government shut down, when votes were scheduled for Sept. 29 and 30, which he subsequently canceled.

Beyond my ability to represent my constituents, this presents a much more consequential question: Can the speaker of the House unilaterally delay swearing in a duly elected member of Congress for political reasons? The answer to this question could have profound impacts moving forward, which is why Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and I have filed suit. We believe this is an abuse of power that strikes at the foundation of our democracy – the ability to have representation in the people's House.

For this and many other reasons, the speaker must bring the House back into session immediately. We cannot abandon tens of millions of Americans who rely on vital federal programs such as SNAP, WIC, Head Start and the Affordable Care Act.

In fact, my district has one of the highest participation rates in SNAP in the country. Put simply, the people who are hurt most by this government shutdown lack basic representation in Congress. That is an injustice. It’s time for Speaker Johnson to end his vacation and get back to the work that the American people elected us to do.

Adelita Grijalva is the U.S. representative-elect for Arizona's 7th Congressional District.