Lawmakers approve bill 427–1 in the House, with unanimous consent in the Senate.
Legislation compels release of Epstein-related files within 30 days, limiting redactions to protect victims and ongoing probes.
Vote reflects mounting pressure on Trump administration and DOJ to reveal long-hidden case documents.
Congress Overwhelmingly Passes Bill Requiring Release of Epstein Case Files
House and Senate unite to mandate public disclosure of Justice Department records on Jeffrey Epstein despite resistance from Trump and GOP leadership.
Summary
In a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership, the House and Senate moved decisively on Tuesday to pass a bill requiring the Justice Department to make its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein publicly available.
In an attempt to circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson's control of the House floor, a small, nonpartisan group of House lawmakers filed a petition in July, but it seemed unlikely given that Trump pushed his followers to write it off as a "hoax."
Neither Johnson nor Trump were able to stop the vote. In recent days, the president gave in to political pressure and declared he would sign the legislation. Additionally, senators decided to approve it unanimously without holding a formal roll call just hours after the House decision.
The decisive, bipartisan work in Congress on Tuesday further demonstrated the growing pressure on lawmakers and the Trump administration to comply with long-standing demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a wealthy financier who committed suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on allegations that he trafficked and sexually assaulted young girls.
In the end, only one lawmaker in Congress opposed the bill. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican who is a fervent supporter of Trump, was the only “nay” vote in the House’s 427-1 tally. He said he worried the legislation could lead to the release of information on innocent people mentioned in the federal investigation.
The bill forces the release within 30 days of all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. It would allow the Justice Department to redact information about Epstein’s victims or continuing federal investigations, but not information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”
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With inputs from AP.
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