Breaking News: House overwhelmingly passes bill to compel the release of the Epstein files

A demonstrator outside the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 12. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The vote was 427-1, with Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, being the only member to vote against it.

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House Passes Bill Requiring Justice Department to Release Epstein Investigation Files

After months of opposition from President Trump and his Republican allies, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill mandating the Justice Department to release all files related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The vote was 427-1, with Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, casting the lone opposing vote.

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“I have been a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning,” Higgins wrote on X. “What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America. As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote.”

The bipartisan measure, introduced in July by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and cosponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, would require the DOJ to publish “in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials” related to Epstein within 30 days.

President Trump, who had opposed the release for months, reversed course on Sunday, urging House Republicans to support the bill, saying it is “because we have nothing to hide.”

Some of Epstein’s survivors attended the House vote and cheered after the bill passed.

Next Steps

The legislation now moves to the Senate, which must pass it before it reaches the president’s desk. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, has not committed to bringing the bill to a vote.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had previously attempted to block a vote, supported the measure but called on the Senate to amend it, citing a lack of protections for victims. Rep. Massie disagreed, noting that the bill already includes such provisions.

“Do not let the Senate muck this bill up,” Massie said in a floor speech before the vote.

President Trump told reporters Monday that he would sign the bill into law if it reaches him.

“Sure, I would,” he said. “Let the Senate look at it. Let anybody look at it.”

Some observers noted that Trump could release the files himself without congressional approval. “If the president is true to his word and wants to see all of this come to light, he can release it now,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland.

Background

Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges, has long been the subject of conspiracy theories claiming he was murdered to hide the names of powerful people. During the 2024 campaign, Trump indicated he might release more government files on Epstein. After taking office in January, he directed the Justice Department to review the evidence.

In July, the DOJ and FBI issued a joint memo confirming Epstein had “committed suicide in his cell” and found no “client list,” stating no further disclosure was warranted.

Some Trump supporters criticized this decision, prompting renewed scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein. In response, Khanna introduced the bill to compel the DOJ to release all investigative materials.

In September, Massie introduced a discharge petition to bypass House leadership and force a vote. Massie and three other House Republicans—Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert—joined all Democrats in signing it. Newly elected Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona became the final signatory, setting up Tuesday’s vote.

“These women have fought the most horrific fight that no woman should have to fight. And they did it by banding together and never giving up,” Greene said at a news conference alongside some of Epstein’s survivors outside the Capitol. “That’s what we did by fighting so hard against the most powerful people in the world, even the president of the United States, in order to make this vote happen today.”

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