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U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva shortly after being sworn-in as Arizona's newest congresswoman.
“Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice,” the Arizona congresswoman said.
Newly sworn-in Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat, arrived in Congress on Wednesday with a message sharpened by grief, political obstruction, and a district left voiceless: LGBTQ+ rights, democratic accountability, and fundamental civil liberties are nonnegotiable.
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Grijalva, the first Latina and first Chicana to represent Arizona in Congress, won a special election in September following the March death of her father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva. What should have been a swift transition became a 50-day standoff after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to schedule the customary swearing-in. The delay, Grijalva noted, effectively froze constituent services for more than 800,000 Arizonans.
Related: Democrat Adelita Grijalva is fighting to serve even as Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear her in
“This is an abuse of power,” Grijalva said in a forceful inaugural floor speech, warning that no single lawmaker should be able to block a duly elected member for political reasons. “Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice.”
Her remarks, part personal reflection, part indictment of congressional inertia, captured a political moment in which executive power, state-level restrictions, and heightened cultural backlash increasingly shape civil rights. Grijalva argued that while extremism has surged outside the chamber, the real danger comes from what Congress has failed to do.
“Our American promise is under serious threat,” she said, outlining a Democratic agenda she believes the House majority has abandoned: protecting immigrant families, addressing rising health care costs, respecting tribal sovereignty, safeguarding public education, defending veterans, and “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights because that’s what the American people expect us to do — fight for them.”
Her speech also highlighted another political storm gathering over the House: newly released emails showing President Donald Trump allegedly knew more about late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s abuses than previously acknowledged. Two Epstein survivors, Elizabeth Stein and Jess Michaels, watched from the gallery as Grijalva announced she would immediately sign a discharge petition to force the release of the full Epstein files.
The Trump administration has been fighting to stop the release, going so far as to meet with Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in the White House Situation Room to convince her to withdraw her support for the measure. It did not work. With Grijalva’s signature, the signatories forced Johnson’s hand, requiring him to schedule a vote.
“Justice cannot wait another day,” Grijalva said.
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