By: Minka Koskinen

October 20, 2025

On September 23, the state of Arizona elected Adelita Grijalva to be their representative. It has been 26 days since, and House Speaker Mike Johnson still has not sworn her in.

In an interview with NPR, Grijalva states that she doesn’t have staff or even an email. They did give her the keys to her office, but she states the phones and computers do not work.

Many have speculated that the reason Mike Johnson won’t swear in Grijalva is because she would be the last signature needed to force a House vote to release the Epstein files. The House speaker refutes these claims, but with almost a month passing with Grijalva not sworn in, one has to ask: why?

Mike Johnson states that the government shutdown is the cause for delay. His opponents point out, however, that Mike Johnson swore in his fellow Republicans in just 24 hours after their special elections, during pro forma.

This past Tuesday, Arizona certified Grijalva’s election results. Legal action has been threatened by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. On Monday, Oct. 20, the Senate is set to vote for the 11th time to end the shutdown. Time will tell if we are close to the end of the government shutdown and closer to having congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva sworn in.