Washington (AP) – A week after her decisive victory in a special election in Arizona, Adelita Grijalva arrived in the US Capitol, where her father had served for decades.
But when she roamed the familiar halls, she said she couldn’t lend a hand but feel like a tourist. With the house from the session, her conspiracy was delayed. This left her without an office, a desk, a staff – an unofficial fresh member of the congress.
“It is very frustrating,” she told the Associated Press after a tardy evening meeting of the house democrats. She said it was unfair to the residents that she would serve in the seventh district of Arizona.
The delay takes place when the Republicans follow President Donald Trump’s agenda, where they have slim majorities in both the house and in the Senate, which leads to intensive partisan battles – including the government’s closure.
Grijalva’s presence as soon as it is sworn in, the margins would narrow down the margins and democrats in the minority, more power if they confront Trump and the GOP agenda.
The spokesman for the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, says that it is “standard practice” to swear to fresh members after the house at the house, and Grijalva is expected to swear when the chamber takes up business next week. But two Republican Congressmen who were elected in special elections at the beginning of this year were session on one day after winning their seats and when the house was not in the meeting.
“I don’t know why the rules are different for me,” said Grijalva.
Democrats accuse Johnson of delaying Grijalva’s emotion because she improves her chances of force a coordination for the publication of the Ministry of Justice to investigate sex trade in the deceased Jeffrey Epstein. Grijalva has undertaken to support these efforts and would be the last signing that is necessary for a petition to force this coordination to join the Democrats and some Republicans.
“The Republicans block them from their position because they want to protect pedophiles. It is a shame,” said Senator Ruben Gallego, a democrat from the same state, in one position on X.
At the beginning of this week, the democratic whip Katherine Clark sent a letter to Johnson from Massachusetts and criticized his cancellation previously planned votes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Clark has commissioned that “general practice” for special elections, for which the results are not in doubt, is that the curse takes place “for the earliest opportunity”.
“Any delay in escape in the elected representatives of Grijalva unnecessarily evades their components of the representation and questions whether the motive is behind the delay in further avoiding the publication of the epstein files,” wrote Clark in the letter.
The spokesman’s office sent the AP an explanation in which Johnson intended to plan the swearing -in next week.
“As the standard practice is, when the house has now received the corresponding documents of the state, the spokesman’s office wants to plan a conspiracy for the elected representative when the house returns to the session,” said a spokesman.
Both congress chambers were last week and part of this week in compliance with the Jewish Holy Days.
Grijalva was elected to her father, the tardy US MP Raúl Grijalva, a progressive democrat who, before his death in March, represented the state in the congress in March.
The newcomer won the seat in South Arizona last week with more than twice as highly than the voices of her Republican opponent and made her the first Latina to represent Arizona in the congress.
The congress office closed the day after the election, she said, and no services for the voters of the district are currently being offered, which hugs almost the entire length of the border between Arizona to Mexico.
Grijalva was in Capitol this week, and the chamber opened briefly when some Democrats gathered to save their demands for the rescue of health funds as part of an agreement to finance the government.
“There is no justification to further delay the elected representative as a member of the house,” said Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the house minor, on Wednesday to reporters and explains that it would take place next Tuesday.
MP Thomas Massie, a Republican in Kentucky who pushed for the publication of the Epstein files, said that he was looking forward to Grijalva’s arrival.
“I encourage spokesmen Johnson to follow the applicable laws and precedent in order to ensure that the chosen selected Grijalva is sworn in in their earliest authorization,” said Massie in an explanation that was presented to the AP. _______ Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Matt Brown contributed to this report from Washington.
