House leaders’ decision to keep lawmakers away from Washington during the government shutdown means Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva will have to continue to wait to become a member of Congress.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has promised to give members 48 hours’ notice before calling them back to Capitol Hill. His goal is to force Senate Democrats to accept a House-passed Republican continuing resolution to fund the government into next month.
Arizona voters in September elected Grijalva to succeed her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, and Democratic leaders want her sworn in right away, during a pro forma session. But Johnson’s aides say she’ll have to wait for a regular session.
“As is standard practice, with the House now having received the appropriate paperwork from the state, the Speaker’s Office intends to schedule a swearing in for the Representative-elect when the House returns to session,” said a spokesperson.
