The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has now been in recess for an entire month—and it’s all because House Speaker Mike Johnson does not want to release the government’s files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The most recent time the House held a vote was Sept. 19, when Republicans passed a resolution honoring the life of bigoted right-wing activist Charlie Kirk as well as a partisan short-term government funding bill that was not negotiated with Democrats. The government shut down less than two weeks later, on Oct. 1, after the Senate failed to pass House Republicans’ partisan funding legislation.
Yet, rather than bring the House back to negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government—much less pass individual appropriations bills to fund the government for longer than just a few weeks—Johnson has kept the House out of town.
And it’s all because bringing the House back would require Johnson to swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who is expected to be the final signature on a petition to force the House to vote on releasing the government’s files on Epstein.
Trump seemingly does not want the files released. And thus Johnson has worked overtime to prevent the vote.
Grijalva has been pushing since her Sept. 23 victory to be sworn in, only to be rebuffed by Johnson.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote a letter to Johnson on Thursday demanding he swear Grijalva in.
“Her election has been officially certified by the state of Arizona. In fact, it was never in question. Yet, for more than three weeks House Republicans have denied the people of Arizona’s 7th district their rightful representation in Congress. The continued refusal to seat Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva for partisan advantage undermines the integrity of this institution,” Jeffries wrote.
But Johnson still won’t do it, claiming it has nothing to do with the Epstein files. Instead, he says he will do it when the government reopens and the House comes back to session.
“I will administer the oath to her, I hope, on the first day we come back into legislative session. I’m willing and anxious to do that. In the meantime, instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents,” Johnson said Monday at a news conference on Capitol Hill, even though Grijalva can’t serve her constituents until she is officially sworn in.
Johnson’s new excuse for why he won’t administer the oath to Grijalva is that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t swear in a duo of special election winners during a recess when she was in charge.
Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, shown in September.
“Pat Ryan, Joe Sempolinski. They were elected during an August recess. So, 21 days later, when the House returned to regular legislative session, they were administered the oath. That’s what we’re doing. We’re not in session right now. Rep. Grijalva was elected after the House was out of success. As soon as we return to legislative session, as soon as the Democrats decide to turn the lights back on so we can all get back here, I will administer the oath,” Johnson said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
Of course, the recess Johnson was referring to was a long-scheduled August recess. The current month-long recess the House is in is entirely Johnson’s decision, and one he keeps extending further even though there is absolutely work Congress could—and actually should—be doing.
Democrats are slamming Johnson for his cowardly move to keep the House in recess to avoid having to vote on the Epstein files release.
“Republicans refuse to swear in an elected Member of Congress. Why? They are covering up the Epstein files,” Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado wrote in a post on X.
And even Republicans are starting to criticize Johnson.
“The House should be in session working,” far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote Monday in a post on X. “We should be finishing appropriations. Our committees should be working. We should be passing bills that make President Trump’s executive orders permanent. I have no respect for the decision to refuse to work.”
“I disagree with [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer’s decision to shut down the government. But I also disagree with Speaker Johnson’s decision to shut down the House of Representatives. That’s why I returned to D.C.,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, Republican of California, wrote in a post on X.
Ultimately, the House has been in session for just 20 days since July 3—when Johnson rushed House Republicans back to the Capitol in order to pass Trump’s tax scam that cut taxes for the rich while slashing Medicaid and food assistance for the poor.
Johnson could bring the House back and have them do actual work. But he won’t, and it’s seemingly all because of the Epstein files—no matter how many times Johnson denies it.
