The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act by a vote of 427-1 on Tuesday, with pro-Israel Clay Higgins(R-La) the only 'nay' vote. The legislation, co-authored by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky), mandates the Justice Department to release all unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of enactment, in a searchable and downloadable format, while allowing redactions for victim protection and active investigations.
Several of Epstein's survivors were present in the House chamber during the vote as well and appeared to erupt in cheers when the resolution passed.
The Senate swiftly followed, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requesting unanimous consent to pass the bill without amendment, which was granted, sending it directly to President Donald Trump for signature.
Trump, who had previously opposed the release and labeled the issue a "hoax," reversed his position on Sunday in a Truth Social post, urging Republicans to support the bill, and confirmed on Monday that he would sign it into law if it reached his desk.
President Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, as he welcomed Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, said he would sign the bill and defended his reversal, saying, “Some of the people that we mentioned are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, but they were with him all the time — I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all,” while also expressing concern that the issue could detract from Republican achievements, including the government shutdown blame on Democrats.
“I do want to say, here’s what I want. We have nothing to do with Epstein," Trump told reporters Monday. "The Democrats do. All of his friends were Democrats. You look at this Reid Hoffman, you look at Larry Summers, Bill Clinton—they went to his island all the time, and many others. They’re all Democrats.”
Trump added: "All I want is for people to recognize a great job that I’ve done on pricing, on affordability, because we brought prices way down, but they go way lower, on energy, on ending eight wars, and another one coming pretty soon, I believe. We’ve done a great job, and I hate to see that deflect from the great job we’ve done. So I’m all for it. You know, we’ve already given 50,000 pages—you do know that.
"Unfortunately, like with the Kennedy situation, with the Martin Luther King situation, not to put Jeffrey Epstein in the same category, but no matter what we give, it’s never enough. You know, with Kennedy, we gave everything and it wasn’t enough. With Martin Luther King, we gave everything and it’s never enough. We’ve already given, I believe, the number is 50,000 pages—50,000 pages. And it’s just a Russia, Russia, Russia hoax as it pertains to the Republicans now.
"I believe that many of the people that were—some of the people that were mentioned are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, but they were with him all the time. I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all. And we’ll see what happens. What I just don’t want Epstein to do is detract from the great success of the Republican Party, including the fact that the Democrats are totally blamed for the shutdown. You know, they cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars with that and a lot of inconvenience. So I’m for… They can do whatever they want. We’ll give them everything.
“Let the Senate look at it, let anybody look at it, but don’t talk about it too much because honestly I don’t want to take it away from us. It’s really a Democrat problem. The Democrats were Epstein’s friends.”
The House vote was a bipartisan victory, with all Democrats and a majority of Republicans supporting the bill after a discharge petition forced the vote despite leadership opposition. Epstein survivors were present in the House gallery during the vote, embracing each other as cheers erupted.
Rep. Thomas Massie emphasized that the Senate should not delay or amend the bill, warning that any changes would undermine the effort to achieve transparency, though he acknowledged the need for victim protection He stated, “If you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people... Do not muck it up in the Senate.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., praised the vote as a triumph for survivors and declared she would read the names of individuals named in the files if they are fully released, saying, “Americans are done being lied to. These survivors deserve full transparency. Every document, every truth, every name... And if those names reach me, I will read them on the House floor”
The bill was introduced in July 2025 by Khanna and Massie, with Massie leading a discharge petition that gathered 218 signatures, forcing a floor vote.
The Justice Department has already released tens of thousands of documents to the House Oversight Committee, including emails from Epstein to Maxwell and journalist Michael Wolff.
Trump had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats and financial institutions, and the DOJ previously concluded Epstein had committed suicide and compiled no “client list.”
