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Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to allow Democrats’ newest congresswoman-elect to be sworn in until her party agrees to end the government shutdown, escalating a partisan standoff that has left large parts of the federal government shuttered for more than a week and deepened distrust across the Capitol.
The move — effectively denying Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) her seat in the House — marks a remarkable breach of precedent and a potent symbol of how even routine congressional functions have become hostage to the larger political war over spending and power.
“We will swear in Rep.-Elect Grijalva as soon as the House returns to session when Chuck Schumer, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego decide to open up the government,” a Johnson leadership aide said Tuesday, explicitly tying her swearing-in to Democratic cooperation in ending the shutdown.
While Johnson has publicly insisted the delay is procedural — telling CNN earlier in the day that he would swear her in “as soon as she wants” once the House reconvenes — the speaker’s aides have privately described the move as a pressure tactic to force Democrats to negotiate on spending. The House has been holding only brief “pro forma” sessions since the shutdown began, meaning members convene only to gavel in and out without conducting formal legislative business.
Johnson’s position marks a sharp break from precedent. Earlier this year, he swore in two Republican members — Florida Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine — during pro forma sessions, undercutting his claim that such a move is “customary” only during full legislative sessions. The inconsistency has sparked anger from Democrats, who accuse Johnson of weaponizing congressional procedure to block representation for more than 700,000 Arizonans in Grijalva’s Tucson-based district.
“Speaker Johnson needs to stop dragging his feet and follow the same precedent he set in swearing in his Republican colleagues earlier this year,” Grijalva said in a statement. “If he would simply give me a date and time, I will be there.”
The freshman lawmaker, who won a special election in late September, has argued that the delay “is robbing the people of Southern Arizona of essential constituent services” — from federal benefits to passport processing — that require a sworn member of Congress to authorize staff operations.
Political motivations and the Epstein dispute
Behind the procedural language, Democrats see something deeper: a political maneuver aimed at blocking their ability to act independently during the shutdown. Grijalva’s arrival in the House would give Democrats the final signature needed on a discharge petition to force a floor vote on releasing additional Justice Department materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein case — an issue that has recently roiled Washington.
Johnson, pressed on that connection by CNN, denied any link. “No, it has nothing to do with that at all,” he said. “We’ll schedule it, I guess, as soon as she wants. It has nothing to do with it. We’re in pro forma session because there is nothing for the House to do. The House has done its job.”
But Johnson’s critics see that as disingenuous. “This is outrageous,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee. “You’ve got the White House undermining our democracy, and now you’ve got the speaker of the House doing the same thing. This is all about a continuation of the Epstein cover-up.”
McGovern’s accusation — echoed by several other Democrats — underscores how procedural disputes have become entangled with larger cultural and political battles. The discharge petition on the Epstein files, which could force public release of unredacted evidence and communications, has divided Congress, with Democrats accusing Republicans of protecting the former president and his allies.
Johnson’s decision to delay Grijalva’s swearing-in thus takes on larger significance: Democrats argue it’s an attempt to control the House agenda by denying them a crucial vote at a moment when the chamber’s balance of power is unusually tight.
Shutdown politics and Johnson’s leverage play
For Johnson, who has struggled to maintain control over a fractious GOP conference, the move appears to be part of a broader strategy to reframe blame for the ongoing shutdown. By tying Grijalva’s swearing-in to Democratic cooperation on funding, Johnson signals to his base that he is using every available tool to force Democrats to the negotiating table — even if that means testing the limits of House norms.
Republicans have insisted that Democrats, particularly Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are responsible for the shutdown by rejecting the House’s funding bills, which include steep spending cuts and conservative policy riders. Democrats, for their part, accuse Johnson of bowing to pressure from hard-right members who have demanded deeper cuts and sought to leverage the shutdown to roll back Biden-era regulations.
The fight over Grijalva’s seating, while seemingly symbolic, also reveals how institutional norms have eroded in recent years. Traditionally, newly elected members are sworn in promptly — even during recesses or shutdowns — to ensure full representation of the electorate. Johnson’s refusal to follow that tradition underscores a growing pattern of partisan brinkmanship that has turned procedural discretion into political weaponry.
“It’s part of the same pattern we’ve seen since the government shut down — procedural hardball designed to demonstrate power rather than govern,” said Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. “The speaker is making a point to his right flank that he’s willing to fight Democrats on every front.”
A deepening standoff
As the shutdown drags into its second week, both sides remain dug in. Senate negotiators have yet to finalize a short-term funding deal, and the House has signaled it will not return to full session until an agreement is in hand. That means Grijalva could remain sidelined indefinitely — a prospect that infuriates Democrats and could invite legal or procedural challenges if her constituents remain unrepresented for long.
“The longer this goes on, the more this crosses from political theater into constitutional territory,” Reynolds said. “At some point, you’re talking about the House actively denying a duly elected member her seat — that’s not a precedent anyone should want to set.”
For now, Johnson appears undeterred. “There will be a time and place for every member to take their oath,” his office said in a statement Tuesday night. “That time is when the House resumes its work to reopen the government.”
Whether that will happen soon — or whether the shutdown becomes yet another front in an ever-deepening war between the House and Senate — remains unclear. But as Grijalva waits to take her oath, the fight over her seat has become a vivid metaphor for Washington’s paralysis: even the act of joining Congress has become a partisan battle.
