Washington — The House on Wednesday formally sent to the Senate a bill that would force the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the final procedural move before the legislation can be sent to President Trump for his signature.
After the House passed the measure in a 427-1 vote on Tuesday, the Senate approved the bill unanimously before it could even be formally transmitted from the lower chamber. With the transmission of the bill Wednesday morning, the bill is formally considered passed, and now heads to the president’s desk for his signature.
Mr. Trump, who had initially expressed opposition to the release of the files, is expected to sign the measure into law, after he changed his tune Sunday and urged Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.
With his signature, the Justice Department, FBI and U.S. attorney’s offices would be forced to release their files related to Epstein, his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and other entities connected to them within 30 days. Survivors’ personal information and other sensitive material can be withheld or redacted with explanations to Congress.
A long path to passage
The final hurdles for the bill come months after the effort began. After the Justice Department issued the findings of an internal review that found no “client list” or evidence that Epstein had blackmailed prominent figures in July, interest in the files has swelled, sparking widespread calls for greater transparency from the Trump administration.
Reps. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, introduced legislation in July that would require the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days. And when Congress returned from recess in September, Massie filed a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill, circumventing GOP leadership. The petition, which required 218 signatures, picked up support from all Democrats and four Republicans, but the final signature needed remained out of reach as Rep. Adelita Grijalva’s swearing in was delayed during the government shutdown.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders had pushed back on the discharge petition and underlying legislation, warning against the possible release of sensitive information while touting work from congressional committees to look into the Epstein files. But public pressure on lawmakers to force the release of the documents remained high.
Last week, Grijalva was sworn in and became the final signature needed on the discharge petition and force a vote. On Wednesday, after Mr. Trump gave his blessing, the House voted almost unanimously in favor of the measure.
The Senate quickly followed suit, unanimously agreeing to deem the bill passed once it arrived from the House.
A GOP split
The effort, and the Epstein issue more broadly, often divided Republicans, who faced conflicting pressure from constituents and the administration.
Last week, the president lashed out at Republicans who pushed to release the files, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a long-time supporter. Mr. Trump reversed his endorsement of Greene, calling her a “traitor,” after she called his prior opposition to releasing the files a “huge miscalculation.”
As the bill approached passage on Tuesday, Khanna spoke of the “extraordinary political consequences” suffered by Massie and Greene, along with other Republicans who supported the measure. And Greene lamented that the fight over the disclosure of the Epstein files had “ripped MAGA apart.”
The issue also seemed to divide GOP leaders. Johnson led the charge against it in Congress. On Tuesday, even as he expressed concerns about the bill, the speaker voted to move it forward, saying that he expected the Senate to amend it and insisting that Senate Majority Leader John Thune do so. Thune did not, and the bill sailed through the Senate unanimously.
Thune acknowledged Johnson’s concerns to reporters ahead of the vote, saying, “I think there are some things he’d like to change, but you got a 427 to 1 vote, it’s probably not likely to happen.” Johnson told reporters afterward, when asked whether he was frustrated with Thune, that “I’m frustrated with the process, but I trust Leader Thune.”
