Before Wednesday’s shutdown vote, Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in as the newest member of Congress. The move comes seven weeks after she won her special election to fill the seat her late father, Raul Grijalva, once held.
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office confirmed Tuesday night that it will happen Wednesday.
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Controversy surrounding the delay
Grijalva has spoken out about the delay, calling it an “unlawful breach of the democratic process.”
“After 7 weeks of waiting, I almost can’t believe it’s true,” she said. “This can never happen again to another member-elect that is waiting in the wings because someone doesn’t want to do their job or because they’re playing politics.”
Critics claimed Johnson stalled her swearing-in to avoid giving Democrats the 218th signature needed to force a vote on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Johnson has denied those claims, however, calling the accusation a “moot point.” He said the House Oversight Committee is already conducting its own investigation into Epstein.
On Monday, CNN asked Johnson when he would finally swear in Grijalva. He said, “just as I promised, as soon as we get back to legislative session. So I mean, before we have this vote that we’re talking about, she’ll be administered to the government.”
When Grijalva takes her oath on Wednesday afternoon, the House Republican majority will narrow once again, 219 to 214.
