House Speaker Mike Johnson, during a ceremonial swearing of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, following the official swearing in on the House floor on Wednesday, Nov. 11. 2025.

WASHINGTON – In his first order of business after a nearly two-month-long recess, House Speaker Mike Johnson swore in Arizona Democratic congresswoman Adelita Grijalva on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

The official action took place seven weeks after her special election victory in September to replace her late father in Congress. The delay drew widespread rebukes from Democrats and even some Republicans, who said it set a dangerous precedent for transitions of political power.

Her addition to the House of Representatives guaranteed there was enough lawmaker support to override leadership objections and force a vote on a measure to release more files related to the late disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. His ties to President Donald Trump are becoming clearer as more information about the pair's relationship has been released in recent weeks and months.

"I will sign the discharge petition right now to release the Epstein files," Grijalva said on the House floor Wednesday, referencing the push that has captured the attention of Washington and the nation.

She then became the 218th signature on the petition, crossing the necessary threshold to prompt a vote at a later date.

"What is most concerning is not what this administration has done, but what the majority of this body has failed to do: Hold Trump accountable as the co-equal branch of government that we are," Grijalva said.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

(This story was updated to add a video.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adelita Grijalva sworn in after 7-week delay, securing Epstein files vote

Reporting by Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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