When a newly elected member of Congress can’t access her own office after winning a special election, you’re witnessing the real cost of political gridlock playing out in empty hallways and locked doors.
Quick Take
- Adelita Grijalva won Arizona’s 7th Congressional District seat on September 23, 2025, but remains unable to be sworn in due to the federal government shutdown
- House Speaker Mike Johnson has delayed the swearing-in ceremony, preventing Grijalva from accessing her office, resources, and serving constituents
- Grijalva and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit on October 21, 2025, seeking to have her sworn in by an alternative authorized official
- Constituent services in Arizona’s 7th District remain offline, leaving residents without access to critical congressional assistance during the shutdown
The Shutdown Stalemate Blocking a Duly Elected Official
Adelita Grijalva won her special election to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District on September 23, 2025, inheriting the seat her father held for decades. Within days, the federal government shutdown began on October 1. Now, nearly a month into her electoral victory, Grijalva sits locked out of her own congressional office, unable to access the resources or authority that come with the job she was elected to do.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to schedule her swearing-in ceremony, tying the action to the broader shutdown crisis. This creates an unprecedented bind: Grijalva cannot officially serve until sworn in, yet the person with power to schedule that ceremony is using the shutdown as justification to delay it indefinitely. The constitutional machinery that should move automatically grinds to a halt when partisan politics interfere.
When Procedure Becomes a Political Weapon
The swearing-in of new congressional members has always been a routine administrative function. Historically, it occurs early in a new session or immediately after special elections. The process requires only that an authorized official administer the oath—typically the Speaker, but the Constitution permits other officials to perform the duty as well.
Johnson’s decision to delay creates a scenario where constituent services collapse. Grijalva’s Arizona district office remains closed. Constituents seeking help navigating Medicare claims, immigration cases, or federal benefits have nowhere to turn. The shutdown affects government agencies already, but the additional layer of having no congressional representative available to advocate on behalf of constituents compounds the damage to effective governance.
The Legal Challenge and What It Reveals
On October 21, Grijalva and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed suit to force an alternative swearing-in by another authorized official. The lawsuit challenges Johnson’s decision and argues that delaying Grijalva’s ability to serve violates constitutional principles and statutory law. This legal escalation reveals how routine government functions have become weaponized in the current political environment.
The irony cuts deep. Government shutdowns supposedly occur when Congress cannot agree on spending. Yet during this shutdown, Congress cannot even manage the basic procedural step of bringing a duly elected representative into office. Johnson holds the procedural power, and he’s using it as leverage in the broader shutdown negotiations. Grijalva becomes collateral damage in a political standoff she didn’t create.
Constituents Left Without Representation
Arizona’s 7th District stretches across parts of Pima County, including portions of Tucson. These communities include working families, seniors, and veterans who rely on their congressional representative’s office for assistance. During normal times, that office fields hundreds of constituent requests monthly—helping people cut through federal bureaucracy, accelerating delayed benefits, and providing vital information.
The shutdown already throttles federal agencies. Adding a locked congressional office amplifies the damage. Constituents have no one to call when their Social Security payment disappears or their VA benefits claim gets lost. The representative they elected and the resources they expect to access simply don’t exist in a functional form. Democratic representation becomes theoretical rather than practical.
Precedent and the Bigger Picture
This situation lacks recent precedent because it represents a breakdown in basic congressional norms. Historically, the House finds ways to swear in members even during contentious periods. Using shutdown leverage to prevent a duly elected representative from taking office crosses into territory that challenges the fundamental legitimacy of the institution itself.
What happens next matters beyond Arizona. If Johnson succeeds in using his procedural power to delay swearing-in, future Speakers will have a template for expanding executive authority. The precedent could enable increasingly aggressive use of routine procedures as political weapons. Congressional operations depend on certain procedures remaining mechanical and non-political. Once they become bargaining chips, the entire institution weakens.
Sources:
Votebeat – Adelita Grijalva Congressional Office Access During Shutdown
