Senate Unanimously Approves Bill to Compel Public Release of the Epstein Files
Earlier today, Cantwell & her colleagues wrote a letter to Majority Leader John Thune urging him to hold a floor vote on the bill; Senate Democrats say Americans “deserve answers, accountability, and the truth” after months of obfuscation from the Trump admin and the GOP
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just now, the United States Senate agreed by unanimous consent to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to make documents and records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell publicly available. Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed the bill 427-1; the Senate agreed to pass the bill as soon as the House formally transmits it to the Senate. The bill will then head to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
Earlier today, after the House voted but before the Senate agreed to pass the bill, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined all Senate Democrats in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) calling on him to immediately bring the bill forward for a vote on the Senate floor.
“As you know, despite promises from then-candidate Donald Trump, the current Trump Administration DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), President Trump, and his subordinates have obfuscated, misdirected, and obstructed efforts in both the Senate and the House to secure release of the Epstein files,” the Senators wrote.
“House Republican leadership has tried to provide cover for the Trump Administration by not backing efforts to require the documents to be released. Speaker Johnson refused to swear in U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva for seven weeks to block her from signing the discharge petition that ultimately forced the House vote on the bill,” they continued.
“The victims of Jeffrey Epstein – and the American people – deserve answers, accountability and the truth. So far, they have only seen empty promises from President Trump and his Administration. Now that a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives has responsibly acted to provide transparency on this matter – we call on you to quickly hold a vote in the U.S. Senate to help deliver the accountability that was promised and that so many Americans are demanding.”
On July 23, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) opted to end the House session early rather than allow a vote on releasing the Epstein files to go forward. Speaker Johnson also refused to convene the House during the longest federal government shutdown in United States history, which allowed him to avoid swearing in a new Democrat, Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07), who would have provided the final signature on a discharge petition to force the bill to the House floor for a vote. When Rep. Grijalva was finally sworn in last week – more than seven weeks after she was elected – she signed the discharge petition, which forced the Republican majority to finally permit a vote on the bill.
On Sunday, President Trump responded to the fact that the House would finally vote on the bill, as well as reports that a number of House Republicans intended to defy his monthslong campaign to quash the issue and vote in favor of the releasing the files -- Trump abruptly changed course, posting on social media that the House should in fact bring the bill to the floor. The bill passed the House 427-1 on Tuesday and was then discharged to the Senate, which agreed to pass the bill as soon as the House formally transmits it just a couple hours later using an expedited process for moving legislation called unanimous consent.
The full text of the letter to Majority Leader Thune is HERE.
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