Adelita Grijalva, a prominent Arizona politician, eagerly awaits being sworn into the 119th Congress. She is the daughter of former congressman Raul Grijalva, who served for two decades until his passing in March. While being sworn in is the official proclamation to represent the 800,000 civilians in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, Grijalva lacks the keys to her office in Congress because Republican Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear her in.

 Grijalva must represent the needs of her people, especially as the government faces a shutdown, an Affordable Care Act debacle and the Epstein files controversy; however, Republicans have refused as a plot to achieve political ends. 

Johnson has voiced his concern for the government’s lack of acknowledgement towards Grijalva’s swearing day; however, the GOP’s actions towards other Rep.-elects show otherwise. 

While Grijalva has waited over two weeks to be sworn in, Johnson saw no issue with swearing in Republican Florida Rep.-elects Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine on April 2 during another pro forma session — a brief affair that occurs during times when no votes take place. The absurd excuse behind this exception was that the reps already had family and supporters ready to cheer them on. Their circumstances seemed meager compared to Grijalva, who acknowledged her father’s prominent role in public service and her many social media posts depicting that she would camp outside of the White House, hoping to be sworn in. Johnson’s biased inability to comprehend the backlash he would receive for this dispute casts light on the broader reasoning behind Grijalva still not being sworn in.

Democrats cited various reasons for Grijalva’s swearing-in deprivation, one of them being their refusal to accept Republican ideologies. The government shutdown on Sept. 30 sent all Republican representatives back home after undergoing disputes about the Affordable Care Act. As Democrats stand firm on denying any decrease in healthcare budgeting, Republicans have used Grijalva’s swear-in date as a dangling carrot to convince Democrats to return and sign off on Republican-led initiatives. Considering such tactics used by the Republicans, it is pivotal to highlight the importance of Grijalva’s access to voice her concerns as a newly elected representative. 

“I’m anxious to administer the oath to her, as soon as you guys open up the government,” Johnson said, as he continues not to swear Grijalva in during a pro forma session. 

With Johnson’s commentary, leaving it up to the Democrats to reopen, it is crucial to understand that this is only one of the many tactics the Republicans uphold to divide the House, especially as the Epstein files are one vote away from being released. 

“We have secured the final vote on releasing the Epstein files and they don’t want it out,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared as she implored the significance behind Grijalva not being sworn in. 

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has obtained thousands of documents that expose Epstein and President Donald Trump’s relationship. While Johnson assures the correlation between the files and Grijalva’s oath delay is “absurd,” it is obvious that the Republicans are taking advantage of her situation.

The people of Arizona are eager to be represented by Grijalva. With her still waiting after being welcomed by her Democrat colleagues nearly a month ago, it is time that Republicans take accountability and grant her respect. Grijalva is here to strengthen the Democratic Party through her voice and her commitment to the country.