Demand House leadership swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva.

The petition to the U.S. House of Representatives reads:

House Republican leadership is delaying the swearing in of newly elected Representative Adelita Grijalva of Arizona to avoid a measure that would force the release of the Epstein files. We are not fools. We all saw that Republicans ran on lowering costs for American families and releasing the files--with survivors' identities redacted--of all who participated in and enabled the criminal child sexual and trafficking network of the late Jeffrey Epstein. We are urging every member of Congress to do right by their constituents, fulfill their campaign promises, and do all that they can to release the Epstein files without delay. This includes swearing in Rep.-elect Grijalva, who would become the 218th vote required to release the files without House leadership approval. Thank you!

Since taking power nine months ago, Republicans have managed to drive the economy into a ditch, raise prices for all of us, and shut down the government. Crucially, they have also failed to fulfill a key campaign promise: to release all files related to the late child sexual abuser and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Their latest stall tactic?

House Republicans are now delaying the swearing in of newly elected Representative Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who promised to cast the deciding vote on a measure to release the Epstein files.

House Republicans' latest move is beyond reprehensible and breaks with historical precedent. Typically, representatives-elect are sworn in immediately following a decisive election, which was the case with Rep.-elect Grijalva, who won 70% of the votes cast.

So, what bogus reason are they giving? Republicans are claiming that, historically, new members of Congress are sworn in during regular session, which begins this coming Tuesday, October 7. But as Rep.-elect Grijalva pointed out, Florida Republicans were sworn in during a pro forma session earlier this year, on April 2, the day after their special elections. 

"There’s no reason why I couldn't have been sworn in, and it's very problematic, because we're facing a government shutdown," Rep.-elect Grijalva told The Hill. "We're going to have constituents who have questions, and there is nobody there to answer questions."

All of this chaos is more proof of House Republicans' failure to protect and prioritize working families and survivors of sexual violence. They couldn't care less about the hardships their government shutdown is imposing on us, or whether anyone in Epstein's abusive and criminal network is held accountable. 

Tell House leadership: Enough is enough! Swear in Rep.-elect Grijalva immediately and release the Epstein files once and for all.