On Thursday, the office of Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), announced that the congressman had passed away. He was 77-years-old and died that morning “due to complications of his cancer treatments.”
A statement from the Office of Raúl M. Grijalva. pic.twitter.com/DJkWNfwHfn
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) March 13, 2025
The lengthy statement focused on Grijalva’s commitment to having “been guided by community voices” as well as his involvement in “transformational improvements.” Several paragraphs also focus his devotion to climate change, including to do with his work on the Natural Resources Committee.
As the statement mentioned in part:
Rep. Grijalva’s passion was not only for his community, but for preservation of the planet. When coming to Congress he was determined to serve on the Natural Resources Committee. He was steadfast in his commitment to produce lasting change through environmental policies — as he would say, “it’s for the babies.” He led the Natural Resources Committee without fear of repercussion, but with an urgency of the consequences of inaction. In doing so, Rep. Grijalva also had the privilege to stand with communities across the country — from the San Carlos Apache near Oak Flat to the residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley — where residents are bravely fighting for justice after decades of industry pollution and exploitation. Working side by side with former Congressman McEachin and environmental justice advocates across the country, Rep. Grijalva created a community driven approach to drafting The Environmental Justice for All Act, legislation that empowers people to stand up for and protect their communities. His strong belief was that no matter where you’re from, one truth unites us all: everyone deserves the freedom to live a healthy life, and every child deserves a safe and fair chance at their future.
Rep. Grijalva expressed his hope that the lessons we’ve discovered along the way will continue to move us forward, not backward. “We cannot back down from addressing the urgency of t he climate crisis. We cannot leave the poor to fend for themselves against burgeoning corporate greed. We cannot allow our education, health care, and social security to be sold out so the rich can get richer. We must treat each other with dignity and respect, as neighbors, not enemies. We must preserve our irreplaceable natural heritage for every next generation. We must give every child the opportunity to succeed. And in times of great uncertainty, when we are looking for guidance, we must always remember that the will of the people is the greatest leader, not the leader who imposes his will.”
Readers may know of Grijalva from his role in leading the opposition to then Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who was at the time still a Democrat, and his plan for permitting reform. Manchin made a deal with then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in order to go along with the woefully misnamed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that was signed into law in August 2022. Manchin asked Schumer to remove permitting reform from the continuing resolution (CR) in late September, just over a month after the bill was already signed.
Last week, another Democratic member of the House died. Shortly after President Donald Trump’s speech before a joint session of Congress last week, Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) suffered a medical emergency and died. He was 70-years-old and had only been in office for about two months, after replacing the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a fellow Democrat who died last July due to pancreatic cancer.
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