Epstein Files Transparency Act

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Epstein Files Transparency Act
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Long titleTo require the Attorney General to release all documents and records in possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein, and for other purposes.
Announced inthe 119th United States Congress
Number of co-sponsors24
Legislative history

The Epstein Files Transparency Act is a law proposed in 119th United States Congress. It would require the Justice Department to declassify and release all files pertaining to the prosecution of the late sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.

Contents

In September 2025, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) filed a discharge petition in support of the bill. On November 12, the discharge petition received the minimum required 218 signatures needed, from 4 Republicans and 214 Democrats; forcing a future House vote on the bill.

Legislative history

Discharge petition

On September 2, 2025, (the first day the House was back in session after the August recess) Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) moved to force the House to vote to require the Justice Department to release the files, through a discharge petition. [1] Trump and other Republicans launched a pressure campaign to prevent the release of the files, with one anonymous official calling voting for Massie's discharge petition a "very hostile act to the administration". [2]

Within several days, Nancy Mace (R-SC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) signed the discharge petition, alongside many Democrats. [3] Later that month, Greene posted to X: "The Epstein rape and pedophile network must be exposed. ... Release all the Epstein information by any means possible." She added that "if something happens to me, I ask you all to find out" who might be trying "to stop the information from coming out." [4]

The petition's final two signatures came from Democrats: James Walkinshaw, who won the Virginia 11th District special election on September 9 [5] and was sworn in the next day, and Adelita Grijalva, who won the Arizona 7th congressional district special election on September 23 [6] and was sworn in on November 12. [7]

In the hours before Grijalva was sworn in, Trump administration officials Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche, and Kash Patel met with Boebert regarding the House effort. However, Boebert did not remove her name from the petition, and once Grijalva was sworn in and provided the 218th signature, it was no longer procedurally allowable for any signatories to remove their names. [8] [9] [10]

Speaker Mike Johnson had delayed Grijalva's swearing-in, generally attributing his decision to the 2025 government shutdown. On October 21, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sued Johnson, seeking to force him to swear in Grijalva. [11] That day, Johnson told Fox Business that the delay "has zero to do with Epstein", given that "the Epstein files are being released" [12] (seemingly referring to the House Oversight Committee's releases).

On November 12, immediately after being sworn in, Grijalva added her name to the discharge petition, securing the required 218th signature for the petition to succeed. [13]

House vote

On November 12, 2025, Johnson stated that the House will vote on the bill the following week (November 16 to 22). [13]

If the bill passes the House, as is expected, it will require 60 votes in the U.S. Senate and the signature of president Donald Trump to become law. If Trump vetoes the legislation, it would require a two-thirds majority in both the U.S. House and Senate to override and become law. [14]

Three Republicans (Don Bacon, Rob Bresnahan, and Tim Burchett) who did not sign the discharge petition, have stated that they will vote in favor of the legislation. Politico has reported that according to anonymous sources, over 100 Republicans are expected to defect from Johnson and vote for the bill. [15] Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) has predicted that 40–50 Republicans might vote for release, while Massie similarly anticipated that Republican support could "snowball". [16]

Public opinion

A September 2025 Marist Poll, surveying 1,477 adult Americans, found that 90% of Americans answered that they wanted at least some of the Epstein files released, with the victims' names redacted. Among these surveyed, 77% stated that they wanted all of the Epstein files to be released, 13% wanted some of the files released, and 9% were opposed. Additionally, 84% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans, and 83% of independents answered that they wanted all of the Epstein files to be released. [17]

References

  1. ↑ Delaney, Arthur (September 2, 2025). "Thomas Massie Files 'Discharge Petition' To Force House Vote On Epstein Files". HuffPost. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ Gold, Michael (September 3, 2025). "G.O.P. Thwarts Epstein Disclosure Bill as Accusers Plead for Files" . The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2025. None of it appeared to be enough to outweigh the pressure from Mr. Trump and Republican leaders, who have moved quickly to squelch legislation that would require the Justice Department to quickly and completely release what it uncovered about Mr. Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. (...) The White House, for its part, has made its opposition to Mr. Massie's bill clear.
  3. ↑ Kim, Ellis (September 5, 2025). "Here's what's next in the Epstein files saga". CNN. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ Mazza, Ed (September 29, 2025). "'Not Suicidal': Marjorie Taylor Greene Posts Ominous 'If Something Happens' Message". HuffPost. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ English, Molly (September 23, 2025). "Adelita Grijalva will win US House special election in Arizona, CNN projects, delivering decisive vote for Epstein files push". CNN. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  6. ↑ Bolton, Alexander (September 15, 2025). "GOP momentum grows to force Trump DOJ to release Epstein files". The Hill. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ Delaney, Arthur (November 12, 2025). "It's Official: The House Will Vote To Release The Epstein Files". HuffPost. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ Karni, Annie; Barrett, Devlin; Gold, Michael (November 12, 2025). "Trump Summons Lauren Boebert as He Pushes GOP to Block Epstein Vote" . Retrieved November 13, 2025. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, confirmed that the meeting had taken place...
  9. ↑ Polantz, Katelyn; Collins, Kaitlan; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Treene, Alayna (November 12, 2025). "Exclusive: Trump administration plans meeting over House effort to force release of all of DOJ's Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ Ferris, Sarah (November 12, 2025). "Johnson says House will vote next week on whether to release Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  11. ↑ Wong, Scott (October 21, 2025). "Arizona AG sues to force House Speaker Johnson to seat Democrat Adelita Grijalva". NBC News. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  12. ↑ Brancolini, Janna (October 21, 2025). "Mike Johnson Cornered on Fox News Over Epstein Vote Saga". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Epstein discharge petition secures final signature needed to force House vote on releasing files". CBS News. November 12, 2025.
  14. ↑ "What's next for Congress in the push to release more Epstein files". PBS. November 13, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Republicans expecting mass defections on Epstein vote". Politico. November 12, 2025.
  16. ↑ Wagner, Meg (November 13, 2025). "Here's where some Republicans stand on releasing the Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  17. ↑ "The 1st Amendment in the U.S., October 2025". MaristPoll. October 1, 2025.
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