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WASHINGTON -- Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn successful arsenic the newest subordinate of Congress connected Wednesday, much than 7 weeks aft she won a peculiar predetermination successful Arizona to capable the House spot past held by her precocious father.
Grijalva was sworn successful by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., connected Wednesday soon earlier the House returned to league to ballot connected a woody to money the national government. After delivering a level speech, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to yet trigger a ballot to merchandise files related to Jeffrey Epstein, giving it the needed 218 signatures.
Grijalva's seating brings the partisan borderline successful the House to a constrictive 220-214 Republican majority. She vowed to proceed her father's bequest of advocating for progressive policies connected issues similar environmentalism, labour rights and tribal sovereignty.
In a code connected the House level aft being sworn in, Grijalva said it was clip for Congress "to reconstruct a afloat and cheque and equilibrium to this administration."
"We tin and indispensable bash better. What is astir concerning is not what this medication has done, but what the bulk of this assemblage has failed to do," she said.
The seating of Grijalva brings an extremity to a weekslong hold that she and different Democrats said was intended to forestall her signature connected the Epstein petition.
FILE - Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., speaks astatine the Capitol successful Washington, Oct. 15, 2025.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Johnson had refused to spot Grijalva portion the enclosure was retired of session, a determination that prompted condemnation from Grijalva, a suit from Arizona's lawyer wide and speculation that Johnson was delaying her induction into the House to stall a ballot connected whether to necessitate the Justice Department merchandise documents related to the precocious convicted enactment trafficker.
Grijalva had said she would articulation the petition from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., aft taking office, giving it the 218 signatures needed. Three Republicans person signed onto Massie's petition - Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
President Donald Trump has been reaching retired astir Epstein to 2 of them, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the effort who was not authorized to sermon it publicly. The president has phoned Mace, who has returned the calls, but the 2 person not yet spoken. Trump made a telephone to Boebert, which the idiosyncratic described arsenic "unsuccessful."
For now, anyone tin region his oregon her sanction from the petition. Once it reaches 218 signatures it volition beryllium excessively late.
A engaged archetypal day
Grijalva's accomplishment kicks disconnected a engaged time connected Capitol Hill arsenic hundreds of House members return, their trips perchance analyzable by question delays caused by the shutdown.
Lawmakers who triumph peculiar elections typically instrumentality the oath of bureau connected days erstwhile legislative concern is conducted. But with the House retired of league since Sept. 19, Johnson had said helium would curse her successful erstwhile everyone returned. He did curse successful 2 Republican members this twelvemonth erstwhile the enclosure was not successful legislative session.
"I don't deliberation he's thought of thing that he's doing, successful this case, arsenic thing personal," Grijalva told The Associated Press successful an interview. "It feels idiosyncratic because, literally, my sanction was attached. I besides cognize that if I were a Republican, I would person been sworn successful 7 weeks ago."
"We've been waiting for this truthful agelong that it's inactive surreal," she said.
She volition commencement her House tenure by voting connected the Senate-passed authorities to reopen the government. Grijalva and astir Democrats are expected to reason it due to the fact that it does not widen Affordable Care Act taxation credits that expire astatine the extremity of the year. Republicans tin inactive walk the measure with their slim majority.
The 218th signature connected an Epstein record discharge petition
Grijalva is the last indispensable signature connected a discharge petition linked to authorities that would necessitate the Justice Department to merchandise each unclassified documents and communications related to Epstein and his enactment trafficking operation. But her determination volition not mean a ballot close away, owed to House rules.
Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the apical Democrat connected the House Rules Committee, said helium expects voting connected the Epstein measure to instrumentality spot successful aboriginal December.
Emails released Wednesday from Democrats connected the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are apt to reignite involvement successful the issue. Epstein constitute successful a 2011 email that Trump had "spent hours" astatine Epstein's location with a unfortunate of enactment trafficking and said successful a abstracted connection years aboriginal that Trump "knew astir the girls."
"The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the wide media to make a fake communicative to smear President Trump," White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said successful a statement.
Leavitt and Republicans connected the committee said the idiosyncratic successful question was Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of arranging for her to person intersexual encounters with a fig of his affluent and almighty friends. Giuffre, earlier she died this year, had agelong insisted that Trump was not among the men who had victimized her.
Arizona's archetypal Latina congresswoman
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Adelita's father, died successful March aft much than 2 decades successful the House, wherever helium built a estimation arsenic a staunch progressive.
Adelita Grijalva has agelong been progressive successful section politics. She served connected the Tucson Unified School District committee earlier joining the Pima County Board of Supervisors, wherever she became lone the 2nd pistillate to pb the board.
She won the Sept. 23 peculiar predetermination with easiness to implicit the remainder of her father's term, representing a mostly Hispanic territory successful which Democrats bask a astir 2-to-1 elector registration vantage implicit Republicans. Grijalva said the triumph was emotional.
"I would alternatively person my dada than person an office," she said.
She told the AP that biology justice, tribal sovereignty and nationalist acquisition are among her priorities, echoing the enactment her begetter championed.
"I cognize that the barroom is acceptable precise high, and the anticipation is precocious of what we're going to beryllium capable to bash erstwhile sworn in," she said.
Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.
Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
