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To: To: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democratic Caucus, Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Nancy Mace (R-SC)
A Petition to End the Shutdown and Restore Representation: Remove Speaker Johnson
Whereas, the federal government has been shut down for 28 days as of October 28, 2025, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal workers to miss paychecks and threatening vital services for millions of Americans, including SNAP benefits;
Whereas, Speaker Mike Johnson has abdicated his primary responsibility to govern by keeping the House of Representatives in recess for nearly five weeks, refusing to hold a vote on a measure to reopen the government;
Whereas, for 34 days, Speaker Johnson has refused to administer the oath of office to Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who was duly elected on September 23, 2025. This action is a subversion of the democratic process, disenfranchises nearly 800,000 Arizonans, and has been challenged in federal court as an unconstitutional abuse of power;
Whereas, Speaker Johnson's justification for this refusal—the ongoing shutdown—is a precedent he himself has violated by previously swearing in Republican members during pro forma sessions;
Whereas, members of the Speaker's own Republican conference, including Rep. Kevin Kiley, have begun to publicly criticize his strategy of recessing the House as "embarrassing" and the "wrong decision," demonstrating that there are members "across the aisle" who are prioritizing a return to governance over partisan strategy;
Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on the House Democratic Caucus and its leadership to immediately:
- File a Motion to Vacate the Chair. Initiate the formal House procedure to declare the office of Speaker of the House vacant, citing Speaker Johnson's failure to perform his constitutional duties, his refusal to allow votes to fund the government, and his unprecedented blockade of a duly-elected member.
- Reach Across the Aisle for Support. Actively and publicly engage with Republican members who have expressed frustration with the shutdown and the Speaker's strategy. Secure the necessary bipartisan support for the Motion to Vacate by framing it as a necessary, patriotic vote to restore the basic functions of Congress.
- Force the Swearing-In of Rep-elect Grijalva. Use every available parliamentary tool, legal challenge, and point of public privilege to demand the immediate and expedient seating of Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva, to end the unconstitutional silencing of her constituents.
The American people cannot be held hostage by a Speaker who refuses to govern. The voters of Arizona's 7th District cannot be ignored. The time for passive opposition is over. We demand you use the constitutional power of the House to remove this obstacle, reopen our government, and restore representation.
Why is this important?
The persistent shutdown of the United States government is a direct result of Mike Johnson's unwillingness to release the Epstein files.
The circumstances here are clear: Johnson is willing to punish the American people, not pay our federal employees, and compromise the integrity of our federal government to protect his political allies.
He is blatantly refusing to perform his role as speaker by failing to swear in Rep-elect Grijalva; in doing so, he is violating his oath to the United States.
It is time for Democrats to work with republicans who are already willing to cross the aisle, as seen with the discharge petition of the Epstein files under discharge petition No. 119.
We, the people of the United States, call upon the Democratic leadership to consistently file motions to vacate and work tirelessly with anyone willing to break the deadlock so that the United States Congress can function as intended within the United States Constitution.
Should this measure fail, it should be repeated until success is achieved.
The circumstances here are clear: Johnson is willing to punish the American people, not pay our federal employees, and compromise the integrity of our federal government to protect his political allies.
He is blatantly refusing to perform his role as speaker by failing to swear in Rep-elect Grijalva; in doing so, he is violating his oath to the United States.
It is time for Democrats to work with republicans who are already willing to cross the aisle, as seen with the discharge petition of the Epstein files under discharge petition No. 119.
We, the people of the United States, call upon the Democratic leadership to consistently file motions to vacate and work tirelessly with anyone willing to break the deadlock so that the United States Congress can function as intended within the United States Constitution.
Should this measure fail, it should be repeated until success is achieved.