Swear in Grijalva

Johnson plans to swear in Grijalva when House returns for funding measure vote, source says

From CNN's Sarah Ferris and Annie Grayer

Speaker Mike Johnson plans to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona this week when the House returns for a funding measure to reopen the government after a weekslong stalemate, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Grijalva was elected September 23, but Johnson refused to swear her in until Senate Democrats agreed to reopen the government. That delay drew fierce scrutiny from congressional Democrats, who pointed to other instances in which lawmakers were sworn in during shutdowns.

Johnson repeatedly said he would officially swear in Grijalva when the Senate passed a funding deal and required the House to return. The swearing-in is expected to take place after the House gavels in but before a possible vote on government funding.

Grijalva said in a statement later Monday that she plans to travel to Washington, DC, after reports that Johnson would swear her in when the House returns to session to vote on the Senate’s government funding deal.

“While I am eager to get to work, I am disappointed that one of my first votes will be on a bill that does nothing to protect working people from skyrocketing premiums, loss of health coverage, or do anything significant to rein in Trump’s abuse of power,” she said.

Some context: Once Grijalva is sworn in, she is expected to provide the final signature necessary to bypass leadership and force a vote on compelling the release of files in the Jeffrey Epstein case. But that will not be immediate. Once she officially becomes the 218th lawmaker to support the measure, it will take at least seven legislative days before it can be brought to the floor, and House leaders can take up to two legislative days before putting it to a vote.