Few bills in the House of Representatives achieve overwhelming support, like the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill to require the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein case files.

After 427 votes in favor and one against, the The bill is now sent to the Senate, where a heated debate is expected, but where Republicans appear to have less room to maneuver against it, after a majority of their colleagues in the House backed the bill sponsored by their colleague Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Democrat Ro Khanna (California).

If approved by the Senate, the Justice Department will have 30 days to release the material from its investigation, including that of the deceased sex offender Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

One of the most heated moments in Congress was the press conference of Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), who distanced herself from President Donald Trump for demanding transparency in the Epstein case and criticizing the current administration for not keeping its promise, thus affecting victims of sex trafficking.

“I was called a traitor by a man I fought for for five, no, actually, six years, and to whom I offered my “unconditional loyalty,” Greene said at a press conference in front of the Capitol, where some of Epstein’s victims were present. Greene has even accused Trump of making a bomb threat after his criticism and subsequent withdrawal of his endorsement. “I won my first election without his support, defeating eight men in the primaries, and I never owed him anything, but I fought for him, for his policies, and for ‘America First,’ and he called me a traitor for supporting these women and refusing to withdraw my name from the impeachment petition,” she declared. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke during a press conference with Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, in front of the U.S. Capitol on November 18, 2025, in Washington.

Who voted NO?

Only Republican Clay Higgins (Louisiana) voted “NO” on the bill, a decision he justified in a message on X.

“From the beginning, I have strongly opposed this bill. What made it wrong three months ago remains wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in the United States. As written, this bill exposes and harms thousands of innocent people: witnesses, alibi providers, family members, etc.,” he states. “This massive disclosure of criminal investigation files, exposed to a sensationalist press, will undoubtedly harm innocent people. Not with my vote.”

Higgins’s argument, in fact, highlights a central point of the bill: revealing the names of Epstein’s associates.

Higgins said he would vote in favor if the Senate amends the bill regarding “the privacy of the victims and other Americans named,” meaning even potential associates of Epstein.

Five members of Congress did not vote: Republicans Michael Rulli (Ohio) and Steve Womack (Arkansas); in addition to Democrats Don Beyer (Virginia), Gregorio Casar (Texas), and Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey).

The pressure on the Trump administration to be transparent about this case has also impacted the president's popularity and credibility.

Around 43% of Latino voters believe the Trump administration is responsible for the lack of transparency regarding the Epstein case files, according to the most recent My Code Intelligence Center poll for this newspaper.

Overall, 60% of multicultural Americans believe the government—including President Trump—has not been transparent about the Epstein case, and “nearly 40% believe there is a widespread cover-up and that more documents should be released.”

Trump and the Senate

Amid pressure, even from his Republican colleagues, President Trump changed his tone on the bill and a few days ago called for its passage and assured that he would sign it, despite that his administration had the authority to release the information without a direct order from Congress.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) doubted the bill would be amended—as Higgins said and as even House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) urged.

“I think when a bill comes out of the House with 427 votes in favor and 1 against, and the president says he’s going to sign it, I’m not sure it’s going to be amended,” Thune told reporters on the Senate floor.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-New York),He asked that the bill be passed without amendments and sent to the president for his signature. “The Senate must pass it without delay, without amendments, and send it to the president for his signature,” Schumer said. “Republicans must not try to alter this bill, stall it in committee, or delay its passage in any way. Any amendment would force it back to the House of Representatives and carry the risk of further delays. Who knows what would happen there?”