TUCSON — The door to Arizona’s 7th Congressional District office here, nestled deep inside the El Pueblo neighborhood center and next to a public library, has been locked for nearly a month.
A sign posted outside the building notes that the office has been closed since a special election to replace the late Raul Grijalva, a 12-term Democratic congressman who had represented the seat since 2003. When the elder Grijalva died, the clerk of the U.S. House assumed management of his staff and ensured his office remained active. That requirement, per the clerk’s website, only lasted until a successor was elected.
That happened on Sept. 23, when Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat, was overwhelmingly chosen by voters to replace her dad in the House. But she has not been sworn in to the job in Washington because of a host of political factors beyond her control — including the continuing government shutdown and accusations she might trigger a controversial vote that House GOP leaders want to avoid.
The delay is impacting Grijalva and her constituents here in ordinary but important ways. Her office has no money because running it would require a congressional allowance and access to taxpayer funds, which she does not have. She can’t log on to her government computer because she doesn’t have the right password, and she has to wait in line with tourists to access the U.S. Capitol.
“I don’t have a budget. The budget is a big deal,” Grijalva told MSNBC on Friday. “I actually had people reach out and say, ‘I went to your dad’s office and nobody’s there,’ because that office was closed on the date of my election, so those services are done.”
Congressional Democrats are loudly protesting on Grijalva’s behalf, holding frequent press conferences in the U.S. Capitol demanding she be seated and slamming Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for refusing to swear her in. Despite the shutdown, Johnson could call the House back into session but he hasn’t done so.
Democrats claim Johnson is delaying things because he is trying to prevent Grijalva from supporting a procedural maneuver that would trigger a House vote to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Her support would force action on an issue that has deeply divided Republicans.
The speaker has denied he is delaying because of Epstein, arguing the holdup is because Grijalva “won her election after the House was out of session.” Johnson has maintained that Grijalva will be seated once the government reopens.
But Grijalva says her constituents need her now.
“Every day that I am not sworn in is another day that my constituents are blocked from critical constituent services and excluded from debates happening right now that affect their lives,” Grijalva said at a news conference Wednesday.
Moments after it wrapped, Grijalva, flanked by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said she was reminded while re-entering the Capitol that she is “essentially a tourist.” She has not yet gotten a “pin” that identifies her as a lawmaker, so she can’t use special entrances to access the Capitol.
“I’m a member-elect, which means that you don’t get the benefits. So when I don’t have a pin, I can’t go in through, like, the quick line where members of Congress and staff are allowed to go through an expedited line because we have meetings and other things,” Grijalva said.
Every day that I am not sworn in is another day that my constituents are blocked from critical constituent services and excluded from debates happening right now that affect their lives.”
Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva
In Arizona, the slowdown means Grijalva is not only unable to reopen her district office, but she also can’t update the voice message attached to that office’s phone line — which still includes a message from her late father. It also means she’s unable to launch formal inquiries into problems faced by her constituents, a critical component of her job.
Given the ongoing shutdown, 77-year-old Belinda Romero said there’s a litany of issues she’d take to her member of Congress — if she had one.
“A lot of people aren’t getting paid right now, even from government jobs and stuff. A lot of people I’ve heard aren’t even getting paid. How are they supposed to pay their homes, buy food, do any of this? And that kind of worries me,” she said.
Democrats in both Washington and Arizona have ramped up pressure on Johnson to schedule Grijalva’s swearing-in ceremony, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Friday sending a letter to the speaker demanding he swear in Grijalva during a short session, as the speaker has done in the past with Republican members-elect.
“In April, Republican Representatives Jimmy Patronis [of Florida] and Randy Fine [of Florida] were sworn in during a pro forma session less than 24 hours after their election. The decision to seat right-wing Republicans with record speed, while denying a newly elected Democrat the opportunity to serve is an unacceptable disgrace,” Jeffries wrote.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, sent Johnson a letter Tuesday threatening legal action if he doesn’t seat Grijalva, describing the swearing-in ceremony as “ministerial” now that the state has formally certified the election.
“The effect of your failure to follow usual practice is that Arizona is down a representative from the number to which it is constitutionally entitled. And the more than 813,000 residents of Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District currently have no representation in Congress,” she wrote.
Johnson on Friday dismissed the threat of legal action as “a publicity stunt by a Democrat Attorney General in Arizona who sees a national moment and wants to call me out.”
Meanwhile Eric Robbins, the chair of the Pima County Democratic Party, where Grijalva’s district is located, said Friday that the local party is seeking to “generate interest” in a possible class action lawsuit centered around the “disenfranchisement” of southern Arizona voters.
“We’re going to pile on all the pressure we can” on Johnson, Robbins said. “It’s a disgrace.”
Johnson also disputed the congresswoman-elect’s claim that the delay in receiving her oath of office means she cannot actively serve her constituents, noting that Grijalva currently has access to her congressional office. “I’ve noticed they keep doing stunt videos outside of her office, knocking on the door and pretending it’s closed. It shouldn’t be. She should be in there taking calls from her constituents, doing her job,” Johnson told CNBC on Thursday. But Grijalva has framed Johnson’s comments as a half-truth, saying in a social media post that while she has received the keys to her office, she can’t use most of the tools inside of it. According to Grijalva, she has computers, but no administrative password she can use to log on; she has no government email, hindering her ability to perform tasks as simple as printing, and she has no discretionary budget to purchase office supplies. In a social media video shared Thursday, she likened it to “someone saying ‘Here’s a car’ and it doesn’t have an engine, gas or tires.” “When Speaker Johnson makes flippant comments about how I’m supposed to be able to — I’m supposed to be providing constituent services, respectfully, how am I supposed to do that when I don’t have any capacity to open an office?” Grijalva said. “We have people that need help and services, and it breaks my heart to send people somewhere else when this office has been known for — my dad’s office was known for constituent services and helping people in this community,” she added. Serving the district, according to residents, is a fundamental aspect of the Grijalva family legacy. Several people here said both the late congressman and his daughter developed a reputation for forming close bonds with residents. Grijalva spent years helping troubled teens as an employee of the Pima County courts, and residents noted her earlier work as a member of the Tucson school board leadership. Some of them knew the former congressman for decades. “I went to high school with him,” Romero said. “I had problems with my mother’s Social Security and railroad retirement, and he did that in a couple of days. He handled that situation. I had problems with my son’s unemployment that they didn’t want to pay him, and he handled it.” That community’s relationship with the Grijalvas makes the delay in swearing in Adelita frustrating and “annoying,” said Kevin Arzac, a 27-year-old independent. “Everybody here loves her and her family. Everybody loved her dad. You can see how many votes she won,” Arzac said, referring to the fact that Grijalva was elected with nearly 70% of the vote. “We want somebody like her to represent us. And just right now having this entire thing go on and on and on … it’s just a waste of time.” Grijalva’s constituents have said they reject Johnson’s explanation for the delay. In interviews, they’ve sometimes characterized it as a partisan play to push Democrats to vote to fund the government. Multiple residents said it’s an attempt to delay the “discharge petition” that would force a vote directing the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. “They could have done this a lot earlier. They’ve done it before with Republicans. This is just an excuse to not have an extra Democrat,” Arzac said. “They don’t want to send her in because she’s the vote to bring the Epstein files,” his father, Alfonzo, added. One thing they all agree on: The sooner Grijalva is sworn in, the sooner she can get to work. “I’m a member-elect, which means that you don’t get the benefits. So when I don’t have a pin, I can’t go in through, like, the quick line where members of Congress and staff are allowed to go through an expedited line because we have meetings and other things,” Grijalva said.
Nnamdi Egwuonwu is a reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
