Congress Overwhelmingly Votes to Force Release of Epstein Files; Senate Clears Bill, Trump Says He Will Sign

Key Facts

Published: November 19, 2025 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Wire Services

• The House voted 427-1 to compel the Department of Justice to release all unclassified files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, following a bipartisan discharge petition led by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna.
• The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent only hours later, sending it to President Donald Trump, who reversed earlier opposition and now vows to sign it.
• Survivors joined lawmakers on Capitol Hill urging full transparency, calling the case “institutional betrayal” that allowed abuse to continue for years.
• Speaker Mike Johnson and several Republicans expressed concerns about insufficient victim protections but voted yes after Trump announced his support.
• The bill requires DOJ to release all unclassified records within 30 days, prohibits political or reputational redactions, and mandates a public explanation for any withheld material.

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News) – In one of the most lopsided votes in recent congressional history, the House of Representatives voted 427-1 on Tuesday to force the Department of Justice to release all unclassified documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The Senate quickly followed suit, passing the measure by unanimous consent, sending the bill to President Donald Trump–who announced this week that he would sign it.

The bipartisan momentum came after Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) led a successful discharge petition, overcoming leadership resistance and securing the required signatures to force a floor vote. “Because survivors spoke up, because of their courage, the truth is finally going to come out,” Khanna said. “And when it comes out, this country is really going to have a moral reckoning: How did we allow this to happen?”

Survivors of Epstein’s trafficking ring stood with lawmakers before the vote. Annie Farmer, who was abused along with her sister, said, “This is not an issue of a few corrupt Democrats or a few corrupt Republicans. This is a case of institutional betrayal. Because these crimes were not properly investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed.”

Only Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) voted no.

Speaker Mike Johnson, who long opposed the discharge petition, ultimately voted in favor but said the bill was drafted in a “haphazard” way and lacked sufficient safeguards for victims. Johnson noted that the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation had already produced tens of thousands of documents from the DOJ and the Epstein estate, but acknowledged that once Massie and Khanna secured enough signatures, Republicans did not want to appear opposed to transparency. “None of us want to go on record and in any way be accused of not being for maximum transparency,” Johnson said.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered the unanimous-consent motion to pass the bill, which met no objection from Republicans or Democrats. “This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans,” Schumer said. “This is about giving the American people the transparency they’ve been crying for. This is about holding accountable all the people in Jeffrey Epstein’s circle who raped, groomed, targeted, and enabled the abuse of hundreds of girls for years and years.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) rejected talk of amendments, saying, “When a bill passes the House 427-1 and the president has said he’d sign it into law, I’m not sure that there’s going to be a need for, or a desire for, an amendment process over here.”

The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the DOJ to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” in a searchable public format within 30 days of enactment. The bill prohibits redactions for political or reputational reasons, though the DOJ may withhold material that reveals victim identities, contains child sexual abuse material, jeopardizes active investigations, or depicts graphic violence. Any redaction must include a written explanation published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress.

Within 15 days of releasing the files, the Attorney General must provide Congress with a detailed report summarizing what was released, what was withheld, and a list of government officials and politically exposed persons referenced in the unclassified materials.

President Donald Trump–who once called the push to release the files a “Democrat Hoax”–reversed his earlier opposition this week, clearing the way for widespread Republican support. “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He later said in the Oval Office, “We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do. All of his friends were Democrats.”

Trump suggested Democrats were using the issue to distract from the GOP’s “great success” in the recent government shutdown fight. His endorsement influenced some hesitant lawmakers, including Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who said the president’s backing helped solidify his vote despite concerns about victim privacy.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who signed the discharge petition, said the battle over the files “has ripped MAGA apart,” especially after Trump withdrew his endorsement of her over the weekend. Greene said she was called a “traitor” by the president but insisted, “I want to see every single name released so that these women don’t have to live in fear and intimidation.”

Survivors expressed both gratitude and skepticism. Haley Robson, one of Epstein’s victims, said she is thankful Trump will sign the bill, but added, “I am traumatized. I am not stupid.” Jena-Lisa Jones, another survivor who voted for Trump, said his behavior on the issue “has been a national embarrassment,” adding, “It is time to take the honest moral ground and support the release of these files… to understand who Epstein’s friends were, who covered for him, what financial institutions allowed his trafficking to continue, and who knew what he was doing but was too much of a coward to do anything about it.”

Massie underscored why he believes full disclosure is unavoidable. “There are 1,000 survivors. They can’t open enough investigations to cover up everything that’s in these files,” he said. “It’s true they can try to protect a few certain people or a few certain companies, but those investigations will eventually end.”

The bill now awaits President Trump’s signature.

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