Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego confront House Speaker Mike Johnson
Arizona U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego caused a stir on Wednesday when they confronted House Speaker Mike Johnson while cameras were rolling.
Watch: Paul Calvisi on Cardinals' preseason standouts and Larry Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame legacy | 8 mins
Arizona Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego caused a stir at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday when they confronted House Speaker Mike Johnson while cameras were rolling.
It started when Kelly and Gallego held in impromptu press conference with reporters who appeared to be waiting for Johnson. When the speaker walked up, the Arizona Democrats peppered him with questions.
Ran into Speaker Johnson and told him exactly how I feel about Republicans shutting down the government to protect pedophiles and jack up health care costs for 24 million Americans. pic.twitter.com/ReofOxFWRz
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) October 8, 2025
What did Sens. Kelly and Gallego say to House speaker?
The participants often talked over each other during the lively exchange.
Kelly and Gallego pushed Johnson about why he hadn’t yet sworn in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election to replace her late father, Raúl Grijalva, in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District over two weeks ago.
The ongoing government shutdown was another big topic.
Johnson eventually accused the Arizonans of a publicity stunt and encouraged them to vote on a continuing resolution to reopen the government before he walked away.
Kelly and Gallego then took more questions from reporters.
Watch the entire episode here.
Related
When will House Speaker Mike Johnson swear in Arizona Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva?
Fatal collision in Mesa shuts down Stapley Drive in both directions
Severe weather with dust, rain rolls into Valley Sunday night
Barrow Neurological Institute gets $5M Arizona health grant for brain injury drug trial
Mayo Clinic in Phoenix again makes U.S. News & World Report list of 20 best hospitals
Weekend wrap: Here are the biggest Arizona news stories from Aug. 7-9
Comments
59 Comments
Trump: “The shutdown is always on the president and is an indictment on his failure to negotiate… Unless that president is ME. In which case, my opponents are just low-IQ poopyheads and it’s all their fault!”
MTG is living proof of the “horseshoe theory” shape of the political spectrum
MTG’s as far right as it gets, of course, but on some issues she’s closer to the far LEFT than to the far right
Both extremes, as the horseshoe theory goes, are closer to each other in positions than they are to the center… Hence, the political spectrum is shaped like a horseshoe and not a straight line
I asked you a direct question, and you haven’t answered it even after two extremely long-winded responses about what a liar I am and how you’ve offered practical solutions.
So I’ll ask it one last time.
“Answer this straightforward question — WHO should pay for life saving care provided to illegal immigrants? Or don’t answer, I couldn’t care less.”