"Grijalva, the first Latina and first Chicana to represent Arizona in Congress, won a special election in September following the March death of her father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva. What should have been a swift transition became a 50-day standoff after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to schedule the customary swearing-in. The delay, Grijalva noted, effectively froze constituent services for more than 800,000 Arizonans."
""This is an abuse of power," Grijalva said in a forceful inaugural floor speech, warning that no single lawmaker should be able to block a duly elected member for political reasons. "Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice." Related: Queer ex-Marine Corps drill instructor channels leadership & Netflix's 'Boots' in Arizona congressional run Her remarks, part personal reflection, part indictment of congressional inertia, captured a political moment in which executive power, state-level restrictions, and heightened cultural backlash increasingly shape civil rights."
""Our American promise is under serious threat," she said, outlining a Democratic agenda she believes the House majority has abandoned: protecting immigrant families, addressing rising health care costs, respecting tribal sovereignty, safeguarding public education, defending veterans, and "standing up for LGBTQ+ rights because that's what the American people expect us to do - fight for them.""
Adelita Grijalva assumed her role in Congress as Arizona's first Latina and first Chicana member after winning a September special election following the March death of her father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva. A 50-day delay in scheduling her swearing-in by House leadership blocked constituent services for more than 800,000 Arizonans. Grijalva characterized the delay as an abuse of power and warned against allowing a single lawmaker to block a duly elected member for political reasons. She framed a Democratic agenda prioritizing immigrant family protections, lower health care costs, tribal sovereignty, public education, veterans, and defending LGBTQ+ rights.
Read at Advocate.com
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